we will go and do as at other times Bones are not broken without pain nor great sins brought on the Conscience without trouble But I need not insist on these Some say that they deprive even true Believers of all their interest in the Love of God but unduly all grant that they bereave them of all comforting evidence and well grounded Assurance of it So they did David and Peter and herein lyes no small part of the depths we are searching into Secondly There are sins which though they do not rise up in the conscience with such a bloody guilt as those mentioned yet by reason of some circumstances and aggravations God takes them so unkindly as to make them a root of disquietness and trouble to the soul all its dayes He sayes of some sins of ungodly men as I live this iniquity shall not be purged from you until ye dye If you are come to this height you shall not escape I will not spare you And there are Provocations in his own People which may be so circumstantiated as that he will not let them pass before he have cast them into depths and made them cry out for deliverance Let us consider some of them First Miscarriages under signal Enjoyments of love and kindness from God are of this sort When God hath given unto any one expressive manifestations of his Love convinced him of it made him say in the inmost parts of his heart this is undeserved love and kindess then for him to be negligent in his walking with God it carrieth an unkindness with it that shall not be forgotten It is a remark upon the miscarriages of Solomon that he fell into them after God had appeared unto him twice And all sins under or after especial mercies will meet at one time or other especial rebukes Nothing doth more distress the conscience of a sinner then the remembrance in darkness of abused light in desertions of neglected love This God will make them sensible of Though I have redeemed them saith God yet they have spoken lyes against me Hos. 7. 15. So Chap. 13. 4 5 6 7. When God hath in his Providence dealt graciously with a Person it may be delivered him from straights and troubles set him in a large place prevented him with many fruits and effects of his goodness blessed him in his Person Relations and Employments dealt well with his soul in giving him a gracious sense of his love in Christ for such a one to fall under sinful miscarriages it goes to the heart of God and shall not be passed over Undervaluations of Love are great provocations Hath Nabal thus requited my kindness saith David I cannot bear it And the clearer the convictions of any in this kind were the more severe will their reflections be upon themselves Secondly Sins under or after great Afflictions are of this importance also God doth not afflict willingly or chasten us meerly for his pleasure He doth it to make us partakers of his Holiness To take so little notice of his hand herein as under it or after it not to watch against the workings and surprizals of sin it hath unkindness in it I smote him saith God and he went on frowardly in the wayes of his own heart These provocations of his Sons and Daughters he cannot bear with Hath God brought thee into the Furnace so that thou hast melted under his hand and in pity and compassion hath given thee enlargement if thou hast soon forgotten his dealings with thee is it any wonder if he mind thee again by troubles in thy soul Thirdly Breaking off from under strong convictions and dawnings of Love before Conversion are oftentimes remembred upon the conscience afterwards When the Lord by his Spirit shall mightily convince the heart of sin and make withal some discoveries of his Love and the Excellencies of Christ unto it so that it begins to yield and be overpowred being almost perswaded to be a Christian if then through the strength of lust or unbelief it goes back to the world or self righteousness its folly hath unkindness with it that sometimes shall not be passed by God can and often doth put forth the greatness of his power for the recovery of such a soul but yet he will deal with him about this contempt of his Love and the Excellency of his Son in the dawnings of them revealed unto him Fourthly Suddain forgetfulness of endearing manifestations of special Love This God cautions his people against as knowing their proneness thereunto Psal. 85. 8. God the Lord will speak peace to his People and his Saints but let them not turn again to solly Let them take heed of their aptness to forget endearing manifestations of special Love When God at any time draws nigh to a soul by his Spirit in his Word with gracious words of peace and love giving a sense of his kindness upon the heart by the Holy Ghost so that it is filled with joy unspeakable and glorious thereon for this soul upon a temptation a diversion or by meer carelesness and neglect which oftentimes falls out to suffer this sense of Love to be as it were obliterated and so to lose that influencing efficacy unto obedience which it is accompanied withal this also is full of unkindness An account hereof we have Cant. 5. 1 2 3 4 5 6. In the first Verse the Lord Jesus draws nigh with full provision of Gospel Mercies for his Beloved I am come unto thee saith he O my Sister I have brought myrrh and spice honey and Wine with me What ever is spiritually sweet and delightful Mercy Grace Peace Consolation Joy Assurance they are all here in a readiness for thee v. 2. The Spouse in her drowsie indisposition takes little notice of this gracious visit she is diverted by other matters and knows not how to attend fully and wholly to the blessed Communion offered unto her but excuseth her self as otherwise engaged But what is the issue Christ withdraws leaves her in the dark in the midst of many disconsolations and long it is before she obtain any recovery Fifthly Great opportunities for service neglected and great gifts not improved are oftentimes the occasion of plunging the soul into great depths Gifts are given to trade withal for God Opportunities are the market dayes for that trade To napkin up the one and to let slip the other will end in trouble and disconsolation Disquietments and perplexities of heart are worms that will certainly breed in the rust of unexercised Gifts God looseth a revenue of glory and honour by such slothful souls and he will make them sensible of it I know some at this day whom omissions of opportunities for service are ready to sink into the grave Sixthly Sins after especial warnings are usually thus issued In all that variety of special warnings which God is pleased to use towards sinning Saints I shall single out one only When a soul is wrastling with some Lust or Temptation God by his
as to a sense and participation of the choice fruits of the death of Christ procured for those who are justified by their acceptance of the Attonement It flourisheth not without his sealing witnessing establishing and shedding abroad the Love of God in our hearts See Rom. 5. 2 3 4 5. And what Believer ought not to long for and press after the enjoyment of these things Nay to read of these things in the Gospel not experiencing them in our own hearts and yet to sit down quietly on this side of them without continual pressing after them is to despise the blood of Christ the Spirit of Grace and the whole work of Gods Love If there are no such things the Gospel is not true if there are and we press not after them we are despisers of the Gospel Surely he hath not the Spirit who would not have more of him all of him that is promised by Christ. These things are the hundred fold that Christ hath left us in this world to counterpoise our sorrows troubles and losses And shall we be so foolish as to neglect our only abiding riches and treasures In particular it is the product of an exercised vigorous active faith That our faith should be such alwayes in every state and condition I suppose it our duty to endeavour Not only our comforts but our Obedience also depends upon it The more faith that is true and of the right kind the more obedience For all our obedience is the obedience of faith 2. For its own fruit and what it produceth they are the choicest actings of our souls towards God as Love delight rejoycing in the Lord Peace Joy and Consolation in our selves readiness to do or suffer chearfulness in so doing If they grow not from this root yet their flourishing wholly depends upon it So that surely it is the duty of every Believer to break through all difficulties in pressing after this particular Assurance The Objections that persons raise against themselves in this case may afterwards be considered 2. In ordinary dispensations of God towards us and dealings with us it is mostly our own negligence and sloth that we come short of this Assurance It is true it depends in a peculiar manner on the Soveraignty of God He is as absolute in giving Peace to believers as in giving Grace to sinners This takes place and may be proposed as a relief in times of tryals and distress He createth light and causeth darkness as he pleaseth But yet considering what Promises are made unto us What encouragements are given us what love and tenderness there is in God to receive us I cannot but conclude that ordinarily the cause of our coming short of this Assurance is where I have fixed it And this is the first thing that is supposed in the foregoing Assertion Secondly It is supposed that there is or may be a saving perswasion or discovery of forgiveness in God Where there is no Assurance of any particular interest therein or that our own sins in particular are pardoned This is that which hath a Promise of gracious Acceptance with God and is therefore saving Isa. 50. 10. Who is among you that feareth the Lord and obeyeth the voyce of his Servant that walketh in darkness and hath no light Let him trust in the name of the Lord and stay upon his God Here is the fear of the Lord and Obedience with a blessed encouragement to rest in God and his Alsufficiency yet no Assurance nor light but darkness and that walked in or continued in for a long season For he cannot walk in darkness meet with nothing but darkness without any beam or ray of Light as the words signifie who is perswaded of the Love of God in the pardon of his sins And yet the faith of such an one and his Obedience springing from it have this Gracious Promise of Acceptance with God And innumerable testimonies to this purpose might be produced and instances in great plenty I shall only tender a little Evidence unto it in one Observation concerning the nature of faith and one more about the proposal of the thing to be believed or forgiveness And 1. Faith is called and is a cleaving unto the Lord Deut. 4. 4. Ye that did cleave or adhere unto the Lord that is who did believe Josh. 23. 8. cleave or adhere unto the Lord your God The same word is used also in the New Testament Acts 11. 23. He exhorted them that with purpose of heart they would cleave unto the Lord or continue stedfast in believing It is also often expressed by trusting in the Lord rolling our burden or casting our care upon him by committing our selves or our wayes unto him Now all this goes no further than the souls Resignation of it self unto God to be dealt withall by him according to the tenor of the Covenant of Grace ratified in the blood of Christ. This a soul cannot do without a discovery of forgiveness in God But this a soul may do without a special Assurance of his own interest therein This faith that thus adheres to God that cleaves to him will carry men to conclude that it is their Duty and their Wisdom to give up the disposal of their souls unto God and to cleave and adhere unto him as revealed in Christ waiting the pleasure of his Will It enables them to make Christ their choice and will carry men to Heaven safely though it may be at some seasons not very comfortably 2. The Revelation and discovery of forgiveness that is made in the Gospel evidenceth the same truth The first proposal of it or concerning it is not to any man that his sins are forgiven No but it is only that there is Redemption and forgiveness of sins in Christ. So the Apostle layes it down Acts 13. 38 39. Be it known unto you therefore Men and Brethren that through this man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins and by him all that believe are justified from all things from which they could not be justified by the Law of Moses All this may be believed without a mans Assurance of his own personal interest in the things mentioned Now where they are believed with the faith the Gospel requires that faith is saving and the root of Gospel acceptable Obedience The Ransome I say the Attonement by Christ the fulness of the Redemption that is in him and so Forgiveness in his blood for Believers from the Good Will Grace and Love of the Father is the first Gospel discovery that a sinner in a saving manner closeth withal Particular Assurance ariseth or may arise afterwards and this also is supposed in the Assertion 2. That which is affirmed in it is That a discovery of forgiveness in God without any particular Assurance of personal interest therein is a great supportment to a sin entangled soul. And let no man despise the day of this small thing small in the eyes of some and those good men also as
professeth that it was all his relief and supportment How comes it to be an occasion of his trouble All had not been well between God and him and whereas formerly in his Remembrance of God his thoughts were chiefly exercised about his Love and Kindness now they were wholly possest with his own sin and unkindness This causeth his trouble Herein lyes a share of the intanglements occasioned by sin Saith such a soul in its self foolish creature hast thou thus requited the Lord Is this the return that thou hast made unto him for all his love his kindness his consolations mercies Is this thy kindness for him thy love to him Is this thy kindness to thy Friend Is this thy boasting of him that thou hadst found so much Goodness and Excellency in him and his Love that though all men should forsake him thou never wouldst do so Are all thy Promises all thy Engagements which thou madest unto God in times of distress upon prevailing obligations and mighty impressions of his Good Spirit upon thy soul now come to this that thou shouldst so foolishly forget neglect despise cast him off Well! now he is gone he is withdrawn from thee and what wilt thou do Art thou not even ashamed to desire him to return They were thoughts of this nature that cut Peter to the heart upon his fall The soul finds them cruel as Death and strong as the Grave It is bound in the chains of them and cannot be comforted Psalm 38. 3 4 5 6. And herein consists a great part of the depths enquired after For this consideration excites and puts an edge upon all grieving straightning perplexing Affections which are the only means whereby the soul of a man may be inwardly troubled or trouble it self such are sorrow and shame with that self-displicency and Revenge wherewith they are attended And as their Reason and Object in this case do transcend all other occasions of them so on no other account do they cause such severe and perplexing reflections on the soul as on this Thirdly A revived sense of justly deserved wrath belongs also to these depths This is as the opening of old wounds When men have passed through a sense of wrath and have obtained deliverance and rest through the blood of Christ to come to their old thoughts again to be trading afresh with Hell Curse Law and Wrath it is a depth indeed And this often befalls gracious souls on the account of sin Psalm 88. 7. Thy wrath lyeth hard upon me saith Heman It pressed and crushed him sorely There is a self-judging as to the desert of wrath which is consistent with a comforting perswasion of an Interest in Christ. This the soul finds sweetness in as it lyes in a subserviency to the exaltation of Grace But in this case the soul is left under it without that relief It plungeth it self into the Curse of the Law and flames of Hell without any cheering supportment from the blood of Christ. This is walking in the valley of the shadow of death The soul converseth with death and what seems to lye in a tendency thereunto The Lord also to increase his perplexities puts new life and spirit into the Law gives it a fresh Commission as it were to take such a one into its Custody and the Law will never in this world be wanting unto its Duty Fourthly Oppressing Apprehensions of temporal Judgements concurr herein also for God will Judge his People And Judgement often begins at the House of God Though God saith such a one should not cast me off for ever though he should pardon my iniquities yet he may so take vengeance of my inventions as to make me feed on gall and wormwood all my dayes Psal. 119. 120. faith David My flesh trembleth for fear of thee and I am afraid of thy Judgements He knows not what the great God may bring upon him and being full of a sense of the guilt of sin which is the bottom of this whole condition every Judgement of God is full of terror unto him Sometimes he thinks God may lay open the filth of his heart and make him a scandal and a reproach in the world Psal. 39. 8. Oh saith he make me not a reproach to the foolish Sometimes he trembles lest God should strike him suddainly with some signal Judgement and take him out of the world in darkness and sorrow so saith David take me not away in thy wrath Sometimes he fears lest he shall be like Jonah and raise a storm in his Family in the Church whereof he is a Member or in the whole Nation Let them not be ashamed for my sake These things make his heart soft as Job speaks and to melt within him When any Afflâ—ction or publick Judgement of God is fastned to a quick living sense of sin in the Conscience it overwhelms the soul whether it be only justly feared or be actually inflicted as was the case of Joseph's Brethren in Aegypt The soul is then rolled from one deep to another Sense of sin casts it on the consideration of its Affliction and Affliction turns it back on a sense of sin So deep calleth unto deep and all Gods billows go over the soul. And they do each of them make the soul tender and sharpen its sense unto the other Affliction â—â—â—â—ens the soul so that the sense of sin cuts the deeper and makes the larger wounds and the sense of sin weakens the soul and makes Affliction sit the heavier and so encreaseth its burden In this case that Affliction which a man in his usual state of spiritual peace could have embraced as a sweet pledge of Love is as goads and thorns in his side depriving him of all rest and quietness God makes it as thorns and briars wherewith he will teach stubborn souls their duty as Gideon did the Man of Succoth Fifthly There may be added hereunto prevailing fears for a season of being utterly rejected by God of being found a Reprobate at the last day Jonah seems to conclude so Chap. 3. 4. Then I said I am cast out of thy sight I am lost for ever God will own me no more And Heman Psalm 88. 4 5. I am counted with them that go down into the pit Free among the dead like the slain that lye in the grave whom thou remembrest no more and they are cut off from thy hand This may reach the soul until the sorrows of Hell encompass it and lay hold upon it untill it be deprived of comfort peace rest untill it be a terror to its self and be ready to choose strangling rather than life This may befall a gracious soul on the account of sin But yet because this fights directly against the Life of Faith God doth not unless it be in extraordinary cases suffer any of his to lye long in this horrible pit where there is no water no refreshment But this often falls out that even the Saints themselves are left for a season to a
As ever you desire to come to rest avoid not this entrance of your passage unto it Weigh well and attend unto what the Law speaks of your sin and its desert or you will never make a due application to God for forgiveness As ever you would have your souls justified by Grace take care to have your sins judged by the Law Secondly There is a respect in it to the Love of God And this breaks the heart of the poor returning sinner Sorrow from the Law shuts it self up in the soul and strangleth it Sorrow from the thoughts of the Love of God opens it and causseth it to flow forth Thoughts of sinning against the Love of God managed by the Holy Ghost what shall I say their effects in the heart are not to be expressed This made Ezra cry out O my God I blush and am ashamed to lift up my face to thee Chap. 9. 6. and v. 10. What shall we say after this After what why all the fruits of love and kindness they had been made partakers of Thoughts of love and sin laid together make the soul blush mourn be ashamed and confounded in its self So Ezek. 36. 31. Then shall you remember your own evil wayes and your doings that were not good When shall they do so when thoughts and apprehensions of love shall be brought home to them and saith he then shall you loath your selves in your own sight The soul now calls to mind what Love what kindness what mercy what grace what patience hath been exercised towards it and whereof it hath been made partaker The thoughts of all these now come in upon him as streams of water Such Mercy such Communion such Priviledges such hopes of Glory such tastes of Heaven such Peace such Consolation such Joy such Communications of the Spirit all to a poor wretched cursed lost forlorn sinner and all this despised neglected the God of them all provoked forsaken Ah saith the soul Whither shall I cause my sorrow to go This fills him with shame and confusion of face makes him mourn in secret and sigh to the breaking of the loyns and then Thirdly The blood and Cross of Christ is also brought to remembrance by the Holy Ghost Ah saith the soul have I thus requited the wonderful astonishing Love of my Redeemer Is this the return the requital I have made unto him Are not Heaven and Earth astonished at the despising of that Love at which they are astonished This brake Peters heart upon the look of Christ. Such words as these from Christ will in this condition sound in the ears of the soul. Did I love thee and leave my glory to become a scorn and reproach for thy sake Did I not think my life and all that was dear unto me too good for thee to save thee from the wrath to come Have I been a Wilderness unto thee or a land of darkness What could I have done more for thee when I had nothing left but my life blood and soul they went all for thee that thou mightest live by my death be washed in my blood and be saved through my souls being made an offering for thee And hast thou thus requited my love to prefer a lust before me the world before me or by meer sloth and folly to be turned away from me go unkind and unthankful soul and see if thou canst find another Redeemer This overwhelms the soul and even drowns it in tears and sorrow And then the bitterness also of the sufferings of Christ are brought to mind They look on him whom they have pierced and mourn Zech. 12. 10. They remember his gall and wormwood his cryes and tears his agony and sweat his desertion and anguish his blood and death the sharpness of the Sword that was in his soul and the bitterness of the Cup that was put into his hand Such a soul now looks on Christ bleeding dying wrestling with wrath and curse for him and seeth his sin in the streams of blood that issued from his side And all this encreaseth that sense of sin whereof we speak Also Fourthly It relates to the communion and consolations of the Holy Ghost with all the priviledges and fruits of Love we are by him made partakers of The Spirit is given to Believers upon the promise of Christ to dwell in them He takes up their hearts to be his dwelling place to what ends and purposes that he may purifie and sanctifie them make them holy and dedicate them to God to furnish them with Graces and gifts to interest them in priviledges to guide lead direct comfort them to seal them unto the day of Redemption Now this Spirit is grieved by sin Ephes. 4. 30. and his dwelling place defiled thereby 1 Cor. 6. 19. and 3. 17. Thoughts hereof greatly sharpen the spiritual sense of sin in a recovering soul. He considers what Light what Love what Joy what Consolation what Priviledges it hath by him been made partaker of what motions warnings workings to keep it from sin it hath found from him and sayes within it self What have I done whom have I grieved whom have I provoked what if the Lord should now for my folly and ingratitude utterly take his holy Spirit from me What if I should have so grieved him that he will dwell in me no more delight in me no more What dismal darkness and disconsolation yea what utter ruine should I be left unto However what shame and confusion of face belongs to me for my wretched disingenuity and ingratitude towards him This is the first thing that appears in the returning souls actings and frame a sincere sense of sin on the accounts mentioned wrought in it by the Holy Ghost And this a soul in the depths described must come unto if ever it expect or look for deliverance and a recovery Let not such persons expect to have a renewed sense of mercy without a revived sense of sin Secondly From hence proceedeth an ingenious free gracious Acknowledgement of sin Men may have a sense of sin and yet suffer it to lye burning as a fire shut up in their bones to their continual disquietment and not be able to come off unto a free soul opening acknowledgement Yea confession may be made in general and mention therein of that very sin wherewith the soul is most intangled and yet the soul come short of a due performance of this Duty Consider how the case stood with David Psal. 32. 3. When I kept silence my bones waxed old through my roaring all the day long How could David keep silence and yet roar all the day long What is that silence which is consistent with roaring It is a meer negation of that duty which is expressed v. 5. that is intended I acknowledge my sins unto thee and mine iniquities I have not hid It was not a silence of submission and waiting on God that he intends That would not have produced a wasting of his spiritual strength as he complains
are spoken of his mercifulness and faithfulness to encourage us to expect forgiveness from him This also adds to the mysterious depths of forgiveness and makes its discovery a great matter The soul that looks after it in earnest must consider what it cost How light do most men make of pardon What an easie thing is it to be acquainted with it and no very hard matter to obtain it But to hold Communion with God in the blood of his Son is a thing of another nature than is once dreamed of by many who think they know well enough what it is to be pardoned God be merciful is a common saying and as common to desire he would be so for Christs sake Poor Creatures are cast into the mould of such expressions who know neither God nor Mercy nor Christ nor any thing of the mysterie of the Gospel Others look on the outside of the Cross to see into the mysterie of the Love of the Father working in the blood of the Mediator to consider by faith the great transaction of Divine Wisdom Justice and Mercy therein how few attain unto it To come unto God by Christ for forgiveness and therein to behold the Law issuing all its threats and curses in his blood and loosing its sting putting an end to its obligation unto punishment in the Cross to see all sins gathered up in the hand of Gods Justice and made to meet on the Mediator and eternal love springing forth triumphantly from his blood flourishing into Pardon Grace Mercy Forgiveness this the heart of a sinner can be enlarged unto only by the Spirit of God Thirdly There is in forgiveness free condonation discharge or pardon according to the tenor of the Gospel and this may be considered two wayes First As it lyes in the Promise it self and so it is Gods gracious declaration of pardon to sinners in and by the blood of Christ his Covenant to that end and purpose which is variously proposed according as he knew needful for all the ends and purposes of ingenerating faith and communicating that consolation which he intends therein This is the Law of his Grace the declaration of the mysterie of his love before insisted on Secondly There is the bringing home and Application of all this mercy to the soul of a sinner by the Holy Ghost wherein we are freely forgiven all our Trespasses Col. 2. 13. Gospel Forgiveness I say respects all these things these Principles they have all an influence into it And that which makes this more evident wherewith I shall close this consideration of the nature of it is that Faith in its Application of it self unto God about and for Forgiveness doth distinctly apply it self unto and close with sometimes one of these severally and singly sometimes another and sometimes jointly takes in the consideration of them all expresly Not that at any time it fixes on any or either of them exclusively to the others but that eminently it finds some special encouragement at some season and some peculiar attractive from some one of them more than from the rest and then that proves an inlet a door of entrance unto the treasures that are laid up in the rest of them Let us go over the severalls by Instances First Sometimes faith fixes upon the Name and infinite Goodness of the nature of God and draws out forgiveness from thence So doth the Psalmist Psal. 86. 6. Thou Lord art good and ready to forgive He rolls himself in the pursuit and expectation of pardon on the infinite goodness of the nature of God So Nehem. 9. 17. Thou art a God of pardons or ready to forgive of an infinite gracious loving nature not severe and wrathful And this is that which we are encouraged unto Isa. 50. 10. to stay on the name of God as in innumerable other places And thus Faith oftentimes finds a peculiar sweetness and encouragement in and from the consideration of Gods gracious nature Sometimes this is the first thing that it fixes on and sometimes the last that it rests in and oft-times it makes a stay here when it is driven from all other holds It can say however it be yet God is gracious and at least make that conclusion which we have from it Joel 2. 13 14. God is gracious and merciful who knoweth but he will return And when faith hath well laid hold on this consideration it will not easily be driven from its expectation of relief and forgiveness even from hence Secondly Sometimes the soul by saith addresseth it self in a peculiar manner to the Soveraignty of Gods Will whereby he is gracious to whom he will be gracious and merciful to whom he will be merciful which as was shewed is another considerable Spring or Principle of forgiveness This way Davids faith steared him in his great streight and perplexity 2 Sam. 15. 25 26. If I shall find favour in the eyes of the Lord he will bring me again but if he thus say I have no delight in thee behold here am I let him do unto me as seemeth good unto him That which he hath in consideration is whether God have any delight in him or no that is whether God would graciously remit and pardon the great sin against which at that time he manifested his indignation Here he layes himself down before the Soveraign Grace of God and awaits patiently the discovery of the free Act of his Will concerning him and at this door as it were enters into the consideration of those other springs of pardon which Faith enquires after and closeth withal This sometimes is all the cloud that appears to a distressed soul which after a while fills the Heavens by the addition of the other considerations mentioned and yields plentifully refreshing showers And this condition is a sin entangled soul oft-times reduced unto in looking out for relief It can discover nothing but this that God is able and can if he graciously please relieve and acquit him All other supportments all springs of relief are shut up or hid from him The springs indeed may be nigh as that was to Hagar but their eyes are withheld that they cannot see them Wherefore they cast themselves on Gods Soveraign pleasure and say with Job though he slay us we will put our trust in him we will not let him go In our selves we are lost that is unquestionable how the Lord will deal with us we know not we see not our signs and tokens any more evidences of Gods Grace in us or of his Love and favour unto us are all out of sight To a present special interest in Christ we are strangers and we lye every moment at the door of Eternity what course shall we take what way shall we proceed If we abide at a distance from God we shall assuredly perish who ever hardned himself against him and prospered Nor is there the least relief to be had but from and by him for who can forgive sins but God
was made in his first dealing with our Parents after their shameful sin and fall Now to make it appear that this is an evidence that carryes along a great conviction with it and is such as faith may securely rest upon and close withall the ensuing Observations are to be considered The first sin in the world was on many accounts the greatest sin that ever was in the world It was the sin as it were of Humane Nature wherein there was a conspiracy of all Individuals omnes eramus unus ille homo in that one man or that one sin we all sinned Rom. 5. 12. It left not God one subject as to moral obedicnce on the earth nor the least ground for any such to be unto Eternity When the Angels sinned the whole race or kind did not prevaricate Thousand thousands of them and ten thousand times ten thousands continued in their obedience Dan. 7. 10. But here all and every individual of mankind he only excepted which was not then in Adam were imbarked in the same crime and guilt Besides it disturbed the Government of God in and over the whole Creation God had made all things in number weight and measure in order and beauty pronouncing himself concerning his whole work that it was 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 exceeding beautiful and good Gen. 1. 31. Much of this beauty lay in the subordination of one thing to another and of all to himself by the mediation and interposition of man through whose Prayses and Obedience the rest of the Creation being made subject unto him was to return their tribute of Honor and Glory unto God But all this Order was destroyed by this sin and the very creation made subject to vanity Rom. 8. 20. On which and the like accounts it might be easily made to appear that it was the greatest sin that ever was in the world 2. Man who had sinned subscribed in his heart and consctence unto the righteous sentence of the Law He knew what he had deserved and looked for nothing but the immediate Execution of the sentence of death upon him Hence he meditates not a defence expects no pardon stayes not for a tryal but flyes and hides and attempts an escape Gen. 3. 10. I was afraid saith he and hid my self than which never were there words of greater horror in the world nor shall be until the day of Judgement Poor Creature he was full of expectation of the vengeance due for a broken Covenant 3. God had newly declared in the sinning Angels what his Justice required and how he could deal with sinning man without the least impeachment of his Government Holiness or Goodness See 2 Pet. 2. 4. 4. There was nothing without God himself that should move him in the least so much as to suspend the execution of his wrath for one moment he had not done so with the Angels All things lay now under wrath curse confusion and disorder nothing was left good lovely or desirable in his eye As in the first Creation that which was first brought forth from nothing was 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 without form and void empty of all order and beauty nothing was in it to induce or move God to bring forth all things in the glory that ensued but the whole design of it proceeded from his own infinite Goodness and Wisdom so was it now again There was an Emptiness and Vanity brought by sin upon the whole creation Nothing remained that might be a motive unto a merciful Restoration but all is again devolved on his Soveraignty All things being in this state and condition wherein all doors stood open to the Glory of Gods Justice in the punishing of sin nothing remaining without him to hold his hand in the least the whole creation and especially the sinner himself lying trembling in Expectation of a dreadful doom what now cometh forth from him the blessed word which we have Gen. 3. 15. The seed of the Woman shall break the Serpents head It is full well known that the whole mysterie of forgiveness is wrapt up in this one word of promise And the great way of its coming forth from God by the blood of the Messiah whose heel was to be bruised is also intimated And this was the first discovery that ever was made of forgiveness in God By a word of pure Revelation it was made and so faith must take it up and receive it Now this Revelation of forgiveness with God in this one Promise was the bottom of all that Worship that was yielded unto him by sinners for many Ages For we have shewed before that without this no sinner can have the least encouragement to approach unto him and this will continue to the end of the world as a notable evidence of the truth in hand a firm foundation for faith to rest and build upon Let a sinner seriously consider the state of things as they were then in the world laid down before and then view God coming forth with a word of pardon and forgiveness meerly from his own Love and those counsells of peace that were between the Father and the Son and he cannot but conclude under his greatest difficulties that yet there is forgiveness with God that he may be feared Let now the Law and Conscience let Sin and Satan stand forth and except against this Evidence enough may be spoken from it whatever the particular case be about which the soul hath a contest with them to put them all to silence II. God revealed this Sacred Truth by his Institution of Sacrifices Sacrifices by blood do all of them respect Attonement Expiation and consequentially forgiveness It is true indeed they could not themselves take away sin nor make them perfect who came unto God by them Heb. 10. 1. but yet they undeniably evince the taking away of sin or the forgiveness of it by what they did denote and typisie I shall therefore look a little back into their Rise and Intendment 1. The Original and first spring of Sacrifices is not in the Scripture expresly mentioned only the practice of the Saints is recorded But it is certain from infallible Scripture Evidences that they were of Gods immediate Institution and Appointment God never allowed that the Will or Wisdom of man should be the spring and Rule of his Worship That solemn word where with he Fronts the command that is the Rule of his Worship 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Thou shalt not make to thy self which is the life of the command that which follows being an explanation and confirmation of the Law it self by Instances cuts off all such pretences and is as a flaming sword turning every way to prevent mens arbitrary approaches to Gods Institutions God will not part with his glory of being the only Law-giver as to the whole concernment of his Worship or any part of it unto any of the sons of men 2. Neither is the time of their Institution mentioned Some of the Papists dispute as there
into Eternity leads to the Glory of God the honour of Christ in the Gospel and your own comfortable account at the last day This encourageth the soul to labour to Trade to endeavour all things now looking forward and unto his advantage 4. Find you not in your selves an impotency a disability unto the dutyes of Obedience as to their performance unto God in an acceptable manner It may be you are not so sensible hereof as you ought to be For respecting only or principally the outward part and performance of dutyes you have not Experience of your own Weakness How to enliven and fill up Duties with Faith Love and Delight you know not and are therefore unacquainted with your own insufficiency in this matter yet if you have any Light any Convictions and to such I speak at present you cannot but perceive and understand that you are not able in your Obedience to answer what you aim at you have not strength or power for it Now it is this faith of Forgiveness alone that will furnish you with the Ability whereof you stand in need Pardon comes not to the Soul alone or rather Christ comes not to the Soul with pardon only It is that which he opens the door and enters by but he comes with a Spirit of life and Power And as without him we can do nothing so through his enabling us we may do all things Receiving of Gospel Forgiveness engageth all the grace of the Gospel unto our assistance This is the summe of what hath been spoken the obedience that you perform under your convictions is burdensome and unpleasant unto you it is altogether unacceptable to God You lose all you do and all that you hope to do hereafter if the foundation be not layd in the receiving of pardon in the blood of Christ. It is high time to cast down all that vain and Imaginary fabrick which you have been erecting and to go about the laying of a new Foundation which you may safely and chearfully build upon a building that will abide for ever Again It is such a way so excellent so pretious so neer the heart of God so relating to the blood of Christ that the neglect of it will assuredly be sorely revenged of the Lord. Let not men think that they shall despise the Wisdom and Love of the Father the blood of the Son and the Promises of the Gospel at an easie rate Let us in a very few words take a view of what the Holy Ghost speaks to this purpose There are Three wayes whereby the Vengeance due to the neglect of closing with forgiveness or Gospel Grace is expressed 1. That is done Positively He that believeth not shall be DAMNED Mark 16. 16. That 's a hard word many men cannot endure to hear of it They would not have it named by their good wills and are ready to fly in the face of him from whose mouth it proceeds But let not men deceive themselves this is the softest word that Mercy and Love it self that Christ that the Gospel speaks to despisers of forgiveness It is Christ who is this legal terrifying Preacher it is he that cryes out if you believe not you shall be Damned and will come himself in flaming fire to take vengeance of them that obey not the Gospel 2 Thess. 2. 8. This is the end of the disobedient if God if Christ if the Gospel may be believed 2. Comparatively in reference unto the Vengeance due to the breach of the Law 2 Cor. 2. 16. We are in the preaching of forgiveness by Christ unto them that perish a savour of death unto death a deep death a sore Condemnation so Heb. 10. 29. Of how much sorer punishment suppose ye he shall be thought worthy Sorer than ever was threatned by the Law or inflicted for the breach of it not as to the Kind of punishment but as to the degrees of it Hence ariseth the addition of many stripes 3. By the way of Admiration at the unexpressibleness and unavoidableness of the punishment due unto such sinners Heb. 2. 3. How shall we escape if we neglect so great salvation Surely there is no way for men to escape they shall unavoidably perish who neglect so great salvation So the Holy Ghost sayes 1 Pet. 4. 11. What shall be the end of them that obey not the Gospel What understanding can reach to an apprehension of their miserable and wofull condition None can saith the Holy Ghost nor can it be spoken to their capacity ah what shall their end be There remains nothing but a certain fearfull looking for of Judgement and fiery indignation that shall consume the Adversaries Heb. 10. 27. A certain fearfull expectation of astonishable things that cannot be comprehended And these are the Enforcements of the Exhortation in hand which I shall insist upon On these foundations on the consideration of these Principles let us now a little conferre together with the words of Truth and Sobriety I speak to such poor souls as having deceived themselves or neglected utterly their Eternal Condition are not as yet really and in Truth made partakers of this forgiveness Your present state is sad and deplorable There is nothing but the wofull uncertainty of a dying life between you and Eternal ruine That perswasion you have of forgiveness is Good for nothing but to harden you and destroy you It is not the Forgiveness that is with God Nor have you taken it up on Gospel grounds or Evidences You have stollen painted beads and take your selves to be lawfull possessors of Pearls and Jewels As you are then any way concerned in your own Eternal Condition which you are entring into and how soon you shall be ingaged in it you know not prevail with your selves to attend a little unto the Exhortation that lyes before you it is your own business that you are entreated to have regard unto 1. Consider seriously what it is you bottom your hopes and expectation upon as to Eternity Great men and in other things wise are here very apt to deceive themselves They suppose they think and believe much otherwise than indeed they think and believe as their cry at the last day will manifest Put your souls a little unto it Do you at all seriously think of these things Or are you so under the power of your Lusts Ignorance and Darkness that you neglect and despise them Or do you rise up and lye down and perform some duties or neglect them with a great Coldness Remisness and Indifferency of Spirit like Gallio not much caring for these things Or do you relieve your selves with hopes of future amendment purposing that if you live you will be other persons than you are when such and such things are brought about and accomplished Or do you not hope well in Generall upon the account of what you have done and will doe If any of these express your condition it is unspeakably miserable You lye down and rise up under the
or at most such an irregular acting of it as the Lord Christ will be very tender towards and which is consistent with peace and a due sense of the forgiveness of sins Mistake not then these one for another lest much causeless unquietness ensue in the Judgement which you are to make of your selves But you will say how shall we distinguish between these two so as not causelesly to be disquieted and perplexed I answer briefly 1. Unbelief working in and by the questioning of the promises of God is a weakning disheartning dispiriting thing It takes off the edge of the soul from spiritual duties and weakens it both as unto delight and strength The more any one questions the promises of God the less life power joy and delight in obedience he hath For faith is the spring and root of all other Graces and according as that thriveth or goeth backwards so do they all Men think sometimes that their uncertainty of the love of God and of acceptance with him by the forgiveness of sin doth put them upon the performance of many duties and they can have no rest or peace in the omission of them It may be it is so Yea this is the state and Condition with many But what are these duties and how are they performed And what is their acceptance with God The duties themselves are legal which denomination ariseth not from the Nature Substance or Matter of them for they may be the same that are required and injoyned in the Gospel but from the principle from whence they proceed and the End to which they are used Now these in this case are both legal their principle is legal fear and their end is legal Righteousness the whole attendance unto them a seeking of righteousness as it were by the works of the Law and how are they performed Plainly with a bondage frame of Spirit without Love Joy Liberty or Delight To quiet conscience to pacifie God are the things in them aymed at all in opposition to the Blood and Righteousness of Christ. And are they accepted with God Let them be multiplyed never so much he every where testifieth that they are abhorred by him This then Unbelief mixed with convictions will do It is the proper way of venting and exercising it self where the soul is brought under the power of conviction But as unto Gospel Obedience in all the duties of it to be carryed on in communion with God by Christ and delight in him all questioning of the promises weakens and discourageth the soul and makes them all wearisome and burdensome unto it But the Jealousie that is exercised about the Person and Love of Christ unto the soul is quite of another nature and produceth other effects It cheers enlivens and enlargeth the soul stirs up to activity earnestness and industry in its enquiries and desires after Christ. Jealousie saith the Spouse is hard as the grave therefore set me as a Seal upon thy heart as a Seal upon thy arm It makes the soul restlesly pant after neerer more sensible and more assured Communion with Christ It stirs up vigorous and active Spirits in all duties Every doubt and fear that it ingenerates concerning the Love of Christ stirs up the soul unto more earnestness after him delight in him and sedulous watching against every thing that may keep it at a distance from him or occasion him to hide withdraw or absent himself from it 2. Unbelief that works by questioning of the promises is universally selfish it begins and ends in self Self-love in desires after freedom from guilt danger and punishment are the life and soul of it May this end be attained it hath no delight in God Nor doth it care what way it be attained so it may be attained May such persons have any perswasions that they shall be freed from death and hell be it by the works of the Law or by the observance of any inventions of their own whether any Glory ariseth unto God from his Grace and faithfulness or no they are not solicitous The Jealousie we speak of hath the Person of Christ and his Excellency for its constant object These it fills the mind with in many and various thoughts still representing him more and more amiable and more desirable unto the soul. So doth the Spouse upon the like occasion as you may see at large Cant. 5. 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16. Being at some loss for his presence for he had withdrawn himself not finding her wonted communion and entercourse with him fearing that upon her provocation she might forfeit her Interest in his Love she falls upon the Consideration of all his Excellencies and thereby the more enflames her self unto desires after his company and enjoyment And these divers things may be thus distinguished and discerned RULE VI. Learn to distinguish between faith and spiritual sense This Rule the Apostle gives us 2 Cor. 5. 7. We walk by faith and not by sight It is the sight of Glory that is especially here intended But faith and sense in any kind are clearly distinguished That may be believed which is not felt Yea It is the Will and Command of God that faith should stand and do its work where all sense fails Esa. 50. 10. And it is with spiritual sense in this matter as it is with natural Thomas would not believe unless he saw the object of his faith with his Eyes or felt it with his hand but saith our Saviour blessed are they who believe and have not seen who believe upon the testimony of God without the help of their own sense or reason And if we will believe no more of God of his Love of Grace of our acceptance with him than we have a spiritual affecting sense of we shall be many times at a loss Sensible impressions from Gods Love are great springs of Joy but they are not absolutely necessary unto peace nor unto an evidence that we do believe We will deal thus with the vilest person living We will believe him whilest we have the certainty of our sense to secure us And if we deal so with God what is there in our so doing praise worthy the Prophet tells us what it is to believe in respect of providence Hab. 3. 17. When there is nothing left outward and visible to support us then to rest quietly on God that is to believe So Psal. 73. 26. And the Apostle in the Example of Abraham shews us what it is to believe with respect unto a special promise Rom. 4. 18. Against hope he believed in hope When he saw not any outward ordinary means for the accomplishment of the promise when innumerable objections arose against any such hope as might have respect unto such means yet he resolved all his thoughts into the faithfulness of God in the promise and therein raised a new hope in its accomplishment so in hope believing against hope To clear this matter you must observe what I intend by
proceed at all in the farther opening of the words they having all of them respect unto the Proposition first laid down I shall explain and confirm the truth contained in it that so it may be understood what we say and whereof we do affirm in the whole process of our Discourse It is a sad Truth that we have proposed unto consideration He that hears it ought to tremble in himself that he may rest in the day of trouble It speaks out the Apostles advice Rom. 11. 20. Be not high minded but fear and that also 1 Cor. 10. 12. Let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall When Peter had learned this truth by woful experience after all his boldness and forwardness he gives this Councel to all Saints that they would pass the time of their sojourning here in fear 1 Pet. 1. 14. Knowing how near in our greatest peace and serenity evil and danger may lye at the door Some few instances of the many that are left on record wherein this Truth is exemplified may be mentioned Gen. 6. 9. Noah was a just man perfect in his Generation and Noah walked with God He did so a long season and that in an evil time amidst all sorts of Temptations When all flesh had corrupted its way upon the earth ver 12. This put an eminency upon his obedience and doubtless rendred the Communion which he had with God in walking before him most sweet and precious to him He was a gracious soul upon the redoubled Testimony of God himself But we know what befell this holy Person He that shall read the story that is recorded of him Gen. 9. 21. will easily grant that he was brought into inextricable distress on the account of sin His own drunkenness ver 21. with the consequent of it gives scandal unto and provokes the unnatural lust of his Son v. 22. and this leads him to the devoting of that Son and his Posterity unto Destruction v. 24 25. all which joyned with the sense of Gods just indignation from whom he had newly received that tremendously miraculous deliverance must needs overwhelm him with sorrow and anxiety of Spirit The matter is more clear in David Under the Old Testament none loved God more than he none was loved of God more than he The Paths of Faith and Love wherein he walked are unto the most of us like the way of an Eagle in the Air too high and hard for us Yet to this very day do the cryes of this Man after Gods own heart sound in our Ears Sometimes he complains of broken bones sometimes of drowning depths sometimes of waves and water-spouts sometimes of wounds and diseases sometimes of Wrath and the sorrows of Hell every where of his sins the burden and trouble of them Some of the occasions of his Depths Darkness Intanglements and Distresses we all know As no man had more Grace than he so none is a greater instance of the power of sin and the effects of its guilt upon the conscience than he But Instances of this kind are obvious and occurr to the thoughts of all so that they need not be repeated I shall then shew First What in particular is intended by the depths and intanglements on the account of sin whereinto gracious souls after much Communion with God may be cast Secondly Whence it comes to pass that so they may be and that oftentimes so they are First For the First some or all of these things following do concurr to the Depths here complained of First Loss of the wonted sense of the Love of God which the soul did formerly enjoy There is a twofold sense of the Love of God whereof Believers in this world may be made partakers There is the transient affecting of the heart by the Holy Ghost with ravishing unspeakable joyes in apprehension of Gods Love and our Relation unto him in Christ. This or the immediate effect of it is called joy unspeakable and full of glory 1 Pet. 1. 8. The Holy Ghost shining into the heart with a clear evidence of the souls interest in all Gospel Mercies causeth it to leap for joy to exult and triumph in the Lord as being for a season carried above all sense and thought of sin self temptation or trouble But as God gives the bread of his House unto all his Children so these dainties and high Cordials he reserveth only for the seasons and Persons wherein and to whom he knows them to be needful and useful Believers may be without this sense of Love and yet be in no depths A man may be strong and healthy who hath wholsom food though he never drink Spirits and Cordials Again There is an abiding dwelling sense of Gods Love upon the hearts of the most of those of whom we speak who have had long communion with God consisting in a prevailing Gospel perswasion that they are accepted with God in Christ. Rom. 5. 1. Being justified by faith we have peace with God I call it a prevailing perswasion denoting both the opposition that is made unto it by Satan and unbelief and its efficacy in the conquest thereof This is the root from whence all that peace and ordinary consolation which Believers in this world are made partakers of do spring and grow This is that which quickens and enlivens them unto Duty Psal. 116. 12 13. and is the salt that renders their Sacrifices and Performances savoury to God and refreshing to themselves This supports them under their tryals gives them peace hope and comfort in Life and Death Psal. 23. 4. Though I walk in the valley of the shaddow of death I will fear no evil for thou art with me A sense of Gods Presence in Love is sufficient to rebuke all anxiety and fears in the worst and most dreadful condition And not only so but to give in the midst of them solid Consolation and Joy So the Prophet expresseth it Hab. 3. 17 18. Although the Fig-tree shall not blessom neither shall fruit be in the Vines the labour of the Olive shall fail and the fields shall yield no meat the flocks shall be cut off from the fold and there shall be no herd in the stalls yet I will rejoyce in the Lord I will joy in the God of my salvation And this is that sense of Love which the choicest Believers may lose on the account of sin This is one step into their depths They shall not retain any such Gospel apprehension of it as that it should give them rest peace or consolation that it should influence their souls with delight in Duty or supportment in tryal And the Nature hereof will be afterwards more fully explained Secondly Perplexed thoughtfulness about their great and wretched unkindness towards God are another part of the Depths of sin-intangled souls So David complains Psal. 77. 3. I remembred God saith he and was troubled How comes the Remembrance of God to be unto him a matter of trouble in other Places he
he not contain himself but that he must roar and cry out Yea must he roar thus all the day long as he speaks Psal. 32. 3. and groan all the night as Psal. 6. 6. What is the matter with all this roaring sighing tears roaring all the day all night long Ah let him alone his soul is bitter in him he is fallen into depths the Lord is withdrawn from him trouble is hard at hand yea he is full of anxiety on the account of sin there is no quietness nor soundness in him and he must thus earnestly and restlessy apply himself for relief Alas what strangers for the most part are men now adayes to this frame How little of the workings of this Spirit is found amongst us And is not the reason of it that we value the world more and Heaven and heavenly things less than he did that we can live at a better rate without a sense of the love of God in Christ than he could do and is it not hence that we every day see so many withering Professors that have in a manner lost all Communion with God beyond a little lip-labour or talking the filthy savour of whose wounds are offensive to all but themselves and so will they go on ready to dye and perish rather than with this holy man thus stir up themselves to meet the Lord. Heman was also like unto him Psal. 88 11 13. What sense he had of his depths he declares v. 3. My soul saith he is full of troubles and my life draweth nigh unto the grave And what course doth he steer in this heavy sorrowful and disconsolate condition Why saith he O Lord God of my salvation I have cryed day and night unto thee let my prayer come before thee encline thine ear unto my cry v. 1 2. Day and night he cryes to the God of his salvation and that with earnestness and importunity This was his business this was he exercised about all his dayes This is that which is aimed at if a gracious soul be brought into the depths before mentioned and described by reason of sin when the Lord is pleased to lead him forth towards a recovery he causeth him to be vigorous and restless in all the duties whereby he may make Application to him for deliverance Now wherein this intensness and earnestness of the soul in its Applications unto God doth principally consist I shall briefly declare when I have touched a little upon some considerations and grounds that stir it up thereunto First The greatness of mens concernments may well put them on this earnestness Men do not use to deal with dull and slothful spirits about their greatest concerns David tells us that he was more concerned in the light of Gods countenance than the men of the world could be in their Corn and Wine Psal. 4. 6 7. Suppose a man of the world should have his house wherein all his stock and riches are laid up set on fire and so the whole be in danger under his eye to be consumed would he be calm and quiet in the consideration of it Would he not bestir himself with all his might and call in all the help he could obtain and that because his portion his all his great concernment lyes at stake And shall the soul be slothful careless dull secure when fire is put to its eternal concernments when the light of Gods countenance which is of more esteem unto him than the greatest increase of Corn and Wine can be to the men of the world is removed from him It was an argument of prodigious security in Jonah that he was fast asleep when the Ship wherein he was was ready to be cast away for his â—â—ke And will it be thought less in any soul who being in a storm of wrath and displeasure from God sent out into the deep after him shall neglect it and sleep as Solomon sayes on the top of a Mast in the midst of the Sea How did that poor creature whose heart was mad on his Idols Judg. 18. 24. cry out when he was deprived of them You have taken away my Gods saith he and what have I more And shall a gracious soul lose his God through his own folly the sense of his love the consolation of his presence and not with all his might follow hard after him Peace with God joy in believing such souls have formerly obtained Can they live without them now in their ordinarily walking can they choose but cry out with Job O that it were with us as in former dayes when the candle of the Lord was upon our Tabernacle Chap. 29. 2 3 4. and with David O Lord restore unto me the joy of salvation Psal. 51. 12. for Oh my God I remember former enjoyments and my soul is cast down within me Psal. 42. 6. They cannot live without it But suppose they might make a sorry shift to pass on in their pilgrimage whilst all is smooth about them what will they do in the time of outward tryals and distresses when deep calleth unto deep and one trouble excites and sharpens another Nothing then will support them they know but that which is wanting to them as Hab. 3. 17 18. Psal. 23. 4. So that the greatness of their concernment provokes them to the earnestness mentioned Secondly They have a deep sense of these their great concernments All men are equally concerned in the Love of God and pardon of sin Every one hath a soul of the same immortal constitution equally capable of bliss and wo. But yet we see most men are so stupidly sottish that they take little notice of these things Neither the guilt of sin nor the wrath of God nor death nor Hell are thought on or esteemed by them they are their concernments but they are not sensible of them But gracious souls have a quick living sense of spiritual things For First They have a saving spiritual light whereby they are able to discern the true nature of sin and the terror of the Lord. For though they are now supposed to have lost the comforting light of the Spirit yet they never loose the sanctifying light of the Spirit the light whereby they are enabled to discern spiritual things in a spiritual manner this never utterly departs from them By this they see sin to be exceeding sinfull Rom. 7. 13. By this they know the terror of the Lord 2 Cor. 15. 11. And that it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God Heb. 10. 31. By this they discover the excellency of the love of God in Christ which passeth knowledge the present sense whereof they have lost By this they are enabled to look within the vail and to take a view of the blessed consolations which the Saints enjoy whose communion with God was never interrupted This represents to them all the sweetness pleasure Joy Peace which in former dayes they had whilst God was present with them in Love By this are
the thoughts expressed in this third Verse and fixes the conclusion in his mind discoursed of before He finds now that he hath the Law afresh to deal withal Thence ariseth that sense and acknowledgement of sin that self-condemnation in the Justification of God whereof we now speak He grows not sullen stubborn displeased and so runs away from God he doth not utterly saint despond and give over he pleads not any thing in his own Justification or for the extenuation of his sin and guilt he quarrelleth not with he repineth not against the Holiness Severity and Righteousness of the Law of God but reflects wholly on himself his own unworthiness guilt and desert and in a sence of them lyes down at the foot of God in expectation of his word and sentence Three things in this condition we ascribe unto such a soul. First A sincere sense of sin There is a twofold sense of sin The one is general and notional whereby a man knows what sin is that himself is a sinner that he is guilty of this or that these or those sins only his heart is not affected proportionably to that discovery and knowledge which he hath of these things The other is active and efficacious The soul being acquainted with the nature of sin with its own guilt in reference unto sin in general as also to this or that sin is universally influenced by that apprehension unto suitable Affections and Operations Of both these we have an instance in the same person David before Nathans coming to him had the former afterwards he had the latter also It cannot be imagined but that before the coming of the Prophet he had a general knowledge and sense not only absolutely of the nature of sin but also that himself was a sinner and guilty of those very sins which afterwards he was reproved for To think otherwise is to suppose not only that he was un-sainted but un-manned also and turned into a Beast But yet this wrought not in him any one Affection suitable to his condition And the like may be said of most sinners in the world But now when Nathan comes to him and gives him the latter efficacious sense whereof we speak we know what effects it did produce It is the latter only that is under consideration and that also is twofold 1. Legal or Antecedaneous unto conversion 2 Evangelical and previous to the recovery from depths whereof we treat How these two differ and how they may be discerned one from the other being both of them in their kind sincere is not my business to declare Now this tast which we assign as the first duty work or acting of a returning soul is a deep and practical apprehension wrought in the mind and heart of a believing sinner by the Holy Ghost of sin and its evils in reference unto the Law and Love of God the Cross and blood of Christ the communion and consolation of the Spirit and all the fruits of Love Mercy or Grace that it hath been made partaker of or on Gospel grounds hoped for First The principal efficient cause of it is the Holy Ghost He it is who convinceth of sin John 16. 8. He works indeed by means He wrought it in David by the Ministry of Nathan and he wrought it in Peter by the look of Christ. But his work it is No man can work it upon his own soul. It will not spring out of mens rational considerations Though men may exercise their thoughts about such things as one would think were enough to break the hearts of stones yet if the Holy Ghost put not forth a peculiar efficacy of his own this sense of sin will not be wrought or produced As the waters at the Pool of Bethesda were not troubled but when an Angel descended and moved them no more will the Heart for sin without a saving elapse of the Holy Ghost Secondly It is a deep Apprehension of sin and the evils of it Sleight transient thoughts about them amount not to the sense of which we speak My sorrow saith David is continually before me Psal. 38. 17. It pressed him alwayes and greatly Hence he compares this sense of sin wrought by the Holy Ghost to arrows that stick in the flesh v. 2. They pain sorely and are alwayes perplexing Sin in this sense of it layes hold on the soul so that the sinner cannot look up Psal. 40. 12. And it abides with him making his sore run in the night without ceasing Psal. 77. 2. and depriveth the soul of rest my soul saith he refused to be comforted This Apprehension of sin lyes down and rises with him in whom it is Transient thoughts attended with infrequent sighs and ejaculations little become a returning soul. And Thirdly It is Practical It is not seated only in the speculative part of the mind hovering in general notions but it dwel's in the practical understanding which effectually influenceth the Will and Affections Such an Apprehension as from which sorrow and humiliation are inseparable The acts of the practical understanding do so necessarily produce together with them suitable acts of the Will and Affections that some have concluded that those are indeed proper acts of the Will which are usually ascribed to the Understanding It is so in the mind as that the whole soul is cast into the mould and likeness of it humiliation sorrow self-abhorrency do live and dye with it Fourthly It hath in the first place respect unto the Law of God There can be no due consideration of sin wherein the Law hath not its place The Law calls for the sinner and he willingly gives up his sin to be judged by it There he sees it to be exceeding sinful Rom. 7. 17. Though a Believer be less under the power of the Law than others yet he knows more of the Authority and nature of it than others He sees more of its spirituality and holiness And the more a man sees of the excellency of the Law the more he sees of the vileness of sin This is done by a soul in its first endeavour for a recovery from the entanglements of sin He labours throughly to know his disease that he may be cured It will do him no good he knows to be ignorant of his distemper or his danger He knows that if his wounds be not searched to the bottom they will stink and be corrupt To the Law then he brings himself and his sin By that he sees the vileness of the one and the danger of the other Most men lye still in their depths because they would willingly escape the first step of their rising From the bottom of their misery they would fain at once be at the top of their felicity The soul managed in this work by the Holy Ghost doth not so He converseth with the Law brings his sin unto it and fully hears the sentence of it When the sin is throughly condemned then he farther takes care of the sinner
the thing it self They take it for granted that so it is and are never put seriously upon the enquiry how it comes to be so and that because indeed they have no real concernment in it How many thousands may we meet withall who take it for granted that forgiveness is to be had with God that never yet had any serious exercise in their souls about the grounds of it and its consistency with his holiness and justice But those that know it by faith have a sense of it fixed particularly and distinctly on their minds They have been put upon an enquiry into the rise and grounds of it in Christ so that on a good and unquestionable foundation they can go to God and say there is forgiveness with thee They see how and by what means more glory comes unto God by forgiveness then by punishing of sin which is a matter that the other sort of men are not at all solicitous about If they may escape punishment whether God have any glory or no for the most part they are indifferent Secondly The first Apprehension ariseth without any tryal upon enquiry in the Consciences of them in whom it is They have not by the power of their convictions and distresses of Conscience been put to make enquiry whether this thing be so or no. It is not a perswasion that they have arrived unto in a way of seeking satisfaction to their own souls It is not the result of a deep enquiry after peace and rest It is antecedent unto Tryal and Experience and so is not Faith but Opinion For although Faith be not Experience yet it is inseparable from it as is every practical habit Distresses in their consciences have been prevented by this Opinion not removed The reason why the most of men are not troubled about their sins to any purpose is from a persuasion that God is merciful and will pardon when indeed none can really on a Gospel account ordinarily have that perswasion but those who have been troubled for sin and that to the purpose So is it with them that make this discovery by faith They have had conflicts in their own spirits and being deprived of peace have accomplished a diligent search whether forgiveness were to be obtained or no. The perswasion they have of it be it more or less is the issue of a tryal they have had in their own souls of an enquiry how things stood between God and them as to peace and acceptation of their Persons This is a vast difference the one sort might possibly have had trouble in their consciences about sin had it not been for their Opinion of forgiveness this hath prevented or stifled their convictions not healed their wounds which is the work of the Gospel but kept them from being wounded which is the work of security Yea here lyes the ruine of the most of them who perish under the preaching of the Gospel They have received the general notion of pardon it floats in their minds and presently presents it self to their relief on all occasions Doth God at any time in the dispensation of the Word under an Affliction upon some great sin against their ruling light begin to deal with their consciences before their conviction can ripen or come to any perfection before it draw nigh to its perfect work they choak it and heal their consciences with this notion of pardon Many a man between the Assembly and his dwelling house is thus cured You may see them go away shaking their heads and striking on their breasts and before they come home be as whole as ever Well! God is merciful there is pardon hath wrought the cure The other sort have obtained their perswasion as a result of the discovery of Christ in the Gospel upon a full conviction Tryals they have had and this is the issue Thirdly The one which we reject worketh no Love to God no Delight in him no Reverence of him but rather a contempt and commonness of Spirit in dealing with him There are none in the world that deal worse with God than those who have an ungrounded perswasion of forgiveness And if they do fear him or love him or obey him in any thing more or less it is on other motives and considerations which will not render any thing they do acceptable and not at all on this As he is good to the Creation they may love as he is great and powerful they may fear him but sense of pardon as to any such ends or purposes hath no power upon them Carnal boldness formality and despising of God are the common issues of such a notion and perswasion Indeed this is the generation of great sinners in the world men who have a general apprehension but not a sense of the special power of pardon openly or secretly in fleshly or spiritual sins are the great sinners among men Where faith makes a discovery of forgiveness all things are otherwise Great Love Fear and Reverence of God are its attendants Mary Magdalen loved much because much was forgiven Great Love will spring out of great forgiveness There is forgiveness with thee saith the Psalmist that thou maist be feared No unbeliever doth truly and experimentally know the truth of this inference But so it is when men fear the Lord and his Goodness Hos. 3. 5. 1 say then where pardoning mercy is truly apprehended where faith makes a discovery of it to the soul it is endeared unto God and possessed of the great springs of Love Delight Fear and Reverence Psal. 116. 1 5 6 7. Fourthly This notional apprehension of the pardon of sin begets no serious through hatred and detestation of sin nor is prevalent to a relinquishment of it nay it rather secretly insinuates into the soul encouragements unto a continuance in it It is the nature of it to lessen and extenuate sin and to support the soul against its convictions So Jude tells us that some turn the Grace of God into lasciviousness v. 4. and sayes he they are ungodly men let them profess what they will they are ungodly men But how can they turn the grace of our God into lasciviousness Is Grace capable of a conversion into Lust or Sin Will what was once Grace ever become Wantonness It is Objective not Subjective Grace the Doctrine not the real substance of Grace that is intended The Doctrine of forgiveness is this Grace of God which may be thus abused From hence do men who have only a general notion of it habitually draw secret encouragements to sin and folly Paul also lets us know that carnal men coming to a doctrinal acquaintance with Gospel Grace are very apt to make such conclusions Rom. 6. 1. And it will appear at the last day how unspeakably this glorious Grace hath been perverted in the world It would be well for many if they had never heard the name of forgiveness It is otherwise where this Revelation is received indeed in the soul by believing Rom. 6.
unto a Resolution of waiting in the condition wherein the soul is This the Church comes unto Lam. 3. 26. It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the Lord. I will not give over my expectation I will not make haste nor limit God but I will lye at his foot until his own appointed time of mercy shall come Expectation and Quietness make up waiting These the soul attains unto with this supportment It looks upwards as a servant that looks to the hands of his Master still fixed on God to see what he will do to hear what he will speak concerning him missing no season no opportunity wherein any discovery of the Will of God may be made to him And this he doth in quietness without repining or murmuring turning all his complaints against himself and his own vileness that hath cut him short from a participation of that fulness of Love and Grace which is with God That this Effect also attends this Faith will fully appear in the close of the Psalm 3. It supports unto waiting in the use of all means for the attainment of a sense of forgiveness and so hath its Effect in the whole course of our obedience There is forgiveness with thee that thou maist be feared To fear the Lord is an expression comprehensive of his whole Worship and all our duty This I am encouraged saith the Psalmist unto in my depths because there is forgiveness with thee I will abide in all duties in all the wayes of thy Worship wherein thou maist be found And however it be for a while the latter end of that soul who thus abideth with God will be peace Let us then nextly see by what wayes and means it yields this supportment 1. It begets a liking of God in the soul and consequently some love unto him The soul apprehends God as one infinitely to be desired and delighted in by those who have a share in forgiveness It cannot but consider him as good and gracious however its own estate be hazardous Psal. 73. 1 2. Yet God is good to Israel to such as are of a clean heart as for me my feet were almost gone my steps had well nigh slipt However the state stands with me yet I know that God is good good to Israel and therewith shall I support my self When once this ground is got upon the soul that it considers God in Christ as one to be delighted in and loved great and blessed effects will ensue 1. Self-abhorrency and Condemnation with Resignation of all to God and permanency therein do certainly attend it 2. Still somewhat or other in God will be brought to mind to relieve it under faintings some new springs of hope will be every day opened 3. And the soul will be insensibly wrought upon to delight it self in dealing with God Though in its own particular it meets with frowns chidings and repulses yet this still relieves him that God is so as hath been declared so that he sayes however it be yet God is good and it is good for me to wait upon him Without this discovery the soul likes not God and whatever it doth with respect unto him it is because it dares do no otherwise being overawed with his terror and greatness And such Obedience God may have from Devils 2. It removes sundry overwhelming difficulties that lye in the souls way before it close with this discovery of forgiveness As 1. It takes away all those Hinderances that were formerly insisted on from the Greatness Holiness and severity of God the inexorableness and strictness of the Law and the natural actings of conscience rising up against all hopes of forgiveness All these are by this faith removed and taken out of the way Where this faith is it discovers not only forgiveness as hath been shewed but also the true nature of Gospel forgiveness It reveals it as flowing from the Gracious Heart of the Father through the blood of the Son Now this Propitiation in the blood of the Son removeth all these difficulties even antecedently unto our special sense of an interest therein It shews how all the properties of God may be exalted and the Law fulfilled and yet forgiveness given out to sinners And herein lyes no small advantage unto a soul in its approaches unto God All those dreadful Apprehensions of God which were wont to beset him in the first thoughts of coming to him are now taken out of the way so that he can quietly apply himself unto his own particular concernments before him 2. In particular it removes the overwhelming consideration of the unspeakable greatness of sin This presseth the soul to death when once the heart is possessed with it Were not their sins so great such as no heart can imagine or tongue declare it might possibly be well with them say distressed sinners They are not so troubled that they are sinners as that they are great sinners Not that these and those sins they are guilty of but that they are great sins attended with fearful aggravations Otherwise they could deal well enough with them Now though this discovery free men not from the entanglement of their sins as theirs yet it doth from the whole entanglement of their sins as great and many This consideration may be abstracted The soul sees enough in God to forgive great sins though it doth not as yet to forgive his sins That great sins shall be pardoned this discovery puts out of Question Whether his sin shall be pardoned is now all the enquiry Whatever any faith can do that this faith will do unless it be the making of particular Application of the things believed unto it self The soul then can no longer justly be troubled about the greatness of sin the infiniteness of forgiveness that he sees in God will relieve him against it All that remains is that it is his own sin about which he hath to deal whereof afterwards These and the like difficulties are removed by it 3. It gives some Life in and Encouragement unto duty And that First Unto duty as duty Eying God by faith in such a fulness of Grace the soul cannot but be encouraged to meet him in every way of duty and to lay hold upon him thereby Every way leading to him as leading to him must be well liked and approved of and Secondly To all duties and herein lyes no small advantage God is oftentimes found in duties but in what or of what kind he will be found of any one in particular is uncertain This faith puts the soul on all So it did the Spouse in the parallel to that in hand Cant. 3. 2 3 4. Now what supportment may be hence obtained is easily apprehended supportment not from them or by them but in them as the means of entercourse between God and the soul. From these Effects of this discovery of forgiveness in God there things will ensue which are sufficient to maintain the spiritual life
Invitation to Repentance and to disbelieve forgiveness is to call the Truth Holiness and Faithfulness of God into question If you will not believe forgiveness pretend what you please it is in truth because you hate Repentance You do but deceive your souls when you pretend you come not up to Repentance because you cannot believe forgiveness For in the very Institution of this duty God engageth all his Properties to make it good that he hath pardon and mercy for sinners 4. Much less cause is there to doubt of forgiveness where sincere Repentance is in any measure wrought No soul comes to Repentance but upon Gods call God calls none but whom he hath mercy for upon their coming And as for those who sin against the Holy Ghost as they shut themselves out from forgiveness so they are not called to Repentance 5. God expresly declares in the Scripture that the forgiveness that is with him is the foundation of his prescribing repentance unto man One instance may suffice Isa. 55. 7. Let the wicked forsake his way 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a perverse wicked one 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and the man of iniquity his thoughts and let him return unto the Lord and he will have mercy and to our God for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 he will multiply to pardon You see to whom he speaks to men perversely wicked and such as make a trade of sinning What doth he call them unto plainly to Repentance to the duty we have insisted on But what is the ground of such an invitation unto such profligate sinners Why the abundant forgiveness and pardon that is with him super-abounding unto what the worst of them can stand in need of as Rom. 5. 20. And this is another way whereby God hath revealed that there is forgiveness with him and an infallible bottom for saith to build upon in its approaches unto God it is Nor can the certainty of this Evidence be called into question but on such grounds as are derogatory to the Glory and Honour of God And this connexion of Repentance and forgiveness is that principle from whence God convinces a stubborn unbelieving people that all his wayes and dealings with sinners are just and equal Ezek. 18. 25. And should there be any failure in it they could not be so Every soul then that is under a call to Repentance whether out of his natural condition or from any back-sliding into folly after Conversion hath a sufficient foundation to rest on as to the pardon he enquires after God is ready to deal with him on terms of mercy if out of love to sin or the power of unbelief he refuse to close with him on these terms his condemnation is just And it will be well that this consideration be well imprinted on the minds of men I say notwithstanding the general presumptions that men seem to have of this matter yet these principles of it ought to be inculcated For 1. Such is the Atheism that lyes lurking in the hearts of men by nature that notwithstanding their pretences and professions we have need to be pressing upon them Evidences of the very Being and Essential Properties of God In so doing we have the assistance of inbred notions in their own minds which they cannot eject to help carry on the work How much more is this necessary in reference unto the free Acts of the Will of God which are to be known only by meer Revelation Our Word had need be line upon line And yet when we have done have cause enough to cry out as was said Lord who hath believed our report and to whom hath this arm of the Lord been revealed 2. What was spoken before of the obstacles that lye in the way hindring souls from a saving reception of this Truth ought to be remembred Those who have no experience of them between God and their souls seem to be ignorant of the true nature of Conscience Law Gospel Grace Sin and Forgiveness 3. Many who are come to a saving perswasion of it yet having not received it upon clear and unquestionable grounds and so not knowing how to resolve their faith of it into its proper principles are not able to answer the Objections that lye against it in their own Consciences and so do miserably fluctuate about it all their dayes These had need to have these principles inculcated on them Were they pondred aright some might have cause to say with the Samaritans who first gave credit to the report of the woman John 4. They had but a report before but now they find all things to be according unto it yea to exceed it A little experience of a mans own unbelief with the Observation that may easily be made of the uncertain progresses and fluctuations of the spirits of others will be a sufficient conviction of the necessity of the work we are engaged in But it will yet be said that it is needless to multiply Arguments and Evidences in this case The Truth insisted on being granted as one of the fundamental principles of Religion As it is not then by any called in question so it doth not appear that so much time and pains is needful for the confirmation of it For what is granted and plain needs little confirmation But several things may be returned in Answer hereunto all which may at once be here pleaded for the multiplication of our Arguments in this matter That it is generally granted by all is no Argument that it is effectually believed by many Sundry things are taken for granted in point of opinion that are not so believed as to be improved in practice We have in part shewed before and shall afterwards undeniably evince that there are very few that believe this Truth with that faith that will interest them in it and give them the benefit of it And what will it avail any of us that there is forgiveness of sin with God if our own sins be not forgiven no more than that such or such a King is rich whilst we are poor and starving My aim is not to prove it as an opinion or a meer speculative Truth but so to evidence it in the principles of its Being and Revelation as that it may be believed whereon all our blessedness depends 2. It needs never the less confirmation because it is a plain fundamental Truth but rather the more and that because both of the Worth and Weight of it This is a faithful saying saith the Apostle worthy of all acceptation that Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners So say I of this which for the substance of it is the same with that It is worthy of all acceptation namely that there is forgiveness with God And therefore ought it to be fully confirmed Especially whilst we make use of no other demonstrations of it but those only which God hath furnished us withal to that purpose and this he would not have done but that he knew them
needful for us And for the plainness of this Truth it is well if it be so unto us This I know nothing but the Spirit of God can make it so Men may please themselves and others sometimes with curious notions and make them seem to be things of great search and attainment which when they are well examined it may be they are not true or if they are are yet of a very little consequence or importance It is these fundamental Truths that have the mysteries of the Wisdom and Grace of God in wrapped in them which who so can unfold aright will shew himself a workman that needs not be ashamed These still waters are deep and the farther we dive into them the greater discovery shall we make of their depths And many other Sacred Truths there are whose mention is common but whose depths are little searched and whose efficacy is little known 3. We multiply these Evidences because they are multitudes that are concerned in them All that do believe and all that do not believe are so Those that do believe that they may be established and those that do not believe that they may be encouraged so to do Among both these sorts some evidences may be more profitable and useful one to one some to another It may be amongst all all will be gathered up that no fragments be lost They are all I hope instruments provided by the Holy Ghost for this end and by this Ordinance do we endeavour to put them into his hand to be made effectual as he will One may reach one soul another another according to his pleasure One may be of use to establishment another to consolation a third of encouragement according as the necessities of poor souls do require However God who hath provided them knows them all to be needful 4. They are so also upon the account of the various conditions wherein the Spirits of Believers themselves may be One may give help to the same soul at one season another at another one may secure the soul against a temptation another stir it up to Thankfulness and Obedience These things have I spoken that you may not think we dwell too long on this consideration And I pray God that your Consolation and Establishment may abound in the reading of these Meditations as I hope they have not been altogether without their fruit in their preparation Further Evidences of Forgiveness with God Testimonies that God was well pleased with some that were sinners The Patience of God towards the world an evidence of Forgiveness Experience of the Saints of God to the same purpose IV. Let us then in the fourth place as a fourth Evidence of this truth consider those both under the Old Testament and the New concerning whom we have the greatest Assurance that God was well pleased with them and that they are now in the enjoyment of him And this Argument unto this purpose the Apostle insists upon and presseth from sundry instances Heb. 11. How many doth he there reckon up who of old obtained a good report and this Testimony that they pleased God ver 2. 5. All these inherited the Promises through believing that is obtained the forgiveness of sin For whereas by nature they were children of wrath and under the Curse as well as others obtaining an infallible interest in the favour of God and this Testimony that they pleased him it could no otherwise be For without this on a just account every one of them would have continued in the state wherein Adam was when he heard the voyce of God and was afraid Wherefore it being evident that some persons in all Generations have enjoyed the friendship love and favour of God in this world and at their departure out of it have entred into Glory it makes it evident that there is forgiveness of sin with him without which these things could not be Let us after the example of the Apostle mention some particular instances in this matter Look unto Abraham He was the friend of God and walked with God God made a solemn Covenant with him and takes it for his memorial throughout all generations that he is the God of Abraham And he is doubtless now at rest with God Our Saviour calls the place or condition whereinto blessed souls are gathered Abrahams Bosom He is at rest with whom others are at rest The condition was the same with Isaac and Jacob. They also are Heaven being alive unto and with God Our Saviour proves it from the tenour of the Covenant I am the God of Abraham the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob. God is not the God of the dead but of the living Matth. 22. 32. They are yet alive alive unto God and with him by vertue of the Covenant or after their death God would not be said to be their God This is the force of our Saviours Argument in that place that after their death God was still their God Then death had not reached their whole persons They were still alive with God in Heaven and their bodies by vertue of the same Covenant were to be recovered out of the dust The same is the state with David He was a man after Gods own heart that did all his Will and fulfilled all his pleasure And although he dyed and his body saw corruption yet he is not lost he is with God in Heaven Hence he ended his dayes triumphantly in a full apprehension of Eternal Rest beyond what could in this world be attained and that by vertue of the Covenant For these are the last words of David Although my house be not so with God yet he hath made with me an Everlasting Covenant ascertaining unto him sure and eternal mercies 2 Sam. 23. 5 Peter also is in Heaven Christ prayed for him that his faith should not fail and in his death he glorified God John 21. 19. So is Paul He also is in Heaven he knew that when he wis dissolved he should be with Christ. Here then we are encompassed about with a cloud of witnesses For 1. It is most certain that they were all sinners They were all so by nature for therein there is no difference between any of the Children of men And personally they were sinners also They confessed so of themselves and some of the sins of all of them stand upon record Yea some of them were great sinners or guilty of great and signal miscarriages Some before their Conversion as Abraham who was an Idolater Josh. 24. 2 3. and Paul who was a Persecutor and a Blasphemer Some after their Conversion Some in sins of the flesh against their Obedience as David and some in sins of Profession against saith as Peter Nothing then is more evident than that no one of them came to rest with God but by forgiveness Had they never been guilty of any one sin but only what is left upon Record concerning them in Holy Writ yet they could be saved no other way For he that
whom I am chief Howbeit for this cause I obtained mercy that in me first Jesus Christ might shâ—w forth all long-suffering for a pattern to them that should hereafter believe on him to life everlasting A great sinner saith he the chiefest of sinners I was which he manifests by some notable instances of his sin I was saith he a blasphemer the highest sin against God a Persecutor the highest sin against the Saints Injurious the highest wickednes towards mankind But saith he I obtained mercy I am pardoned and that with a blessed effect First That he should after all this be so accounted faithful as to be put into the Ministry And then that the Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ in him and towards him was exceeding abundant And what was the Reason what was the cause that he was thus dealt withal Why it was that he might be a pattern an Evidence an Argument that there was Grace Mercy Forgiveness to be had for all sorts of sinners that would believe to life Everlasting To conclude then this Evidence Every one who is now in Heaven hath his pardon sealed in the blood of Christ. All these pardons are as it were hanged up in the Gospel they are all enrolled in the Promises thereof for the encouragement of them that stand in need of forgiveness to come and sue out theirs also Fear not then the Guilt of sin but the Love of it and the power of it If we love and like sin better than forgiveness we shall assuredly go without it If we had but rather be pardoned in Gods way than perish our condition is secure V. The same is evident from the Patience of God towards the world and the end of it For the clearing hereof we may observe 1. That upon the first entrance of sin and breach of that Covenant which God had made with mankind in Adam he might immediately have executed the Threatned Curse and have brought eternal death upon them that sinned Justice required that it should be so and there was nothing in the whole creation to interpose so much as for a reprieve or a respite of vengeance And had God then sent sinning man with the Apostate Angels that induced him into sin immediately into eternal destruction he would have been glorified in his Righteousness and Severity by and among the Angels that sinned not or he could have created a new race of innocent creatures to have worshipped him and glorified him for his Righteous Judgement even as all the Elect at the last day shall do for the destruction of ungodly men 2. God hath not taken this course He hath continued the race of mankind for a long season on the earth he hath watched over them with his Providence and exercised exceeding Patience forbearance and longsuffering towards them This the Apostle Paul at large discourseth on Acts 14. 15 16 17. Chap. 17. 24 25 26 27 28 29 30. as also Rom. 2. 4. And it is open and manifest in their event The whole world is every day filled with tokens of the power and patience of God Every Nation every City every Family is filled with them 3. That there is a common Abuse of this patience of God visible in the world in all Generations So it was of old God saw it to be so and complained of it Gen. 6. 5 6. All the evil sin wickedness that hath been in the world which no heart can conceive no tongue can express hath been all an abuse of this patience of God This with the most is the consequent of Gods patience and forbearance Men count it a season to fulfill all the abominations that their evil hearts can suggest unto them or Satan draw them into a combination with himself in This the state of things in the world proclaims and every ones experience confirms 4. Let us therefore consider what is the true and proper end of this patience of God towards the world enduring it in sin and wickedness for so long a season and suffering one Generation to be multiplyed after another Shall we think that God hath no other design in all this Patience towards mankind in all Generations but meerly to suffer them all and every one without Exception to sin against him dishonour him provoke him that so he may at length everlastingly destroy them all It is confessed that this is the Consequent the event of it with the most through their perverse wickedness with their love of sin and pleasure But is this the design of God his only design hath he no other purpose but meerly to forbear them a while in their folly and then to avenge himself upon them Is this his intendment not only towards those who are obstinate in their Darkness Ignorance and Rebellion against him whose damnation is just and sleepeth not but also towards those whom he stirs up by his Grace to seek after a Remedy and Deliverance from the state of sin and death God forbid yea such an apprehension would be contrary to all those notions of the infinite Wisdom and Goodness of God which are ingrafted upon our hearts by nature and which all his works manifest and declare Whatever therefore it be this cannot be the design of God in his patience towards the world It cannot be but that he must long since have cut off the whole race of mankind if he had no other thoughts and purposes towards them 5. If this Patience of God hath any other Intention towards any any other effect upon some upon any that is to be reckoned the principal End of it and for the sake whereof it is evidently extended unto some others consiquentially unto all For those concerning whom God hath an especial design in his patience being to be brought forth in the world after the ordinary way of mankind and that in all Ages during the continuance of the world from the beginning unto the end thereof the patience which is extended unto them must also of necessity reach unto all in that variety wherein God is pleased to exercise it The whole world therefore is continued under the patience of God and the fruits of it for the sake of some that are in it 6. Let us therefore see what is the End of this Patience and what it teacheth us Now it can have no end possible but only that before rejected unless there be forgiveness of sins with God Unless God be ready and willing to forgive the sins of them that come to him according unto his appointment his patience is meerly subservient unto a design of wrath anger severity and a Resolution to destroy Now this is an abomination once to suppose and would reflect unspeakable dishonour upon the Holy God Let a Man but deal thus and it is a token of as evil an habit of mind and perverse as any can befall him Let him bear with these that are in his power in their faults for no other end or with no other design but that he
glorious before the Creation of all or any thing whatever than he will be when he shall be encompassed about with the praises of all the works of his hands And such is his absolute perfection that no Honor given unto him no Admiration of him no Ascription of Glory and praise can add any thing unto him Hence saith the Psalmist My goodness extends not unto thee Psal. 16. 2. It doth not so reach thee as to add unto thee to profit thee as it may do the Saints that are on the Earth As he in Job Chap. 22. 23. Can a man be profitable unto God as he that is wise may be profitable unto himself Is it any pleasure to the Almighty that thou art righteous or is it gain unto him that thou makest thy wayes perfect There is no doubt but that it is well pleasing unto God that we should be righteous and upright But we do him not a pleasure therein as though he stood in need of it or it were advantage or gain unto him And again Chap. 35. 7. If thou be Righteous what givest thou him or what receiveth he at thine hand And the Reason of all this the Apostle gives us Rom. 11. 36. Of him and through him and to him are all things Being the first Soveraign Cause and last absolute End of all things every way perfect and self-sufficient nothing can be added unto him Or as the same Apostle speaks God that made the world and all things therein seeing that he is Lord of Heaven and Earth is not worshipped with mens hands as though he needed any thing seeing he giveth unto all life and breath and all things Acts 17. 24 25. As he himself pleads at large Psal. 50. 7 8 9 10 11 12 13. 2. Wherefore All the Revenue of Glory that God will receive by his Worship depends meerly on his own voluntary Choice and Appointment All Worship I say depends now on the Soveraign Will and pleasure of God It is true there is a natural Worship due from rational creatures by the Law of their Creation This was indispensably and absolutely necessary at first The very Being of God and order of things required that it should be so Supposing that God had made such creatures as we are it could not be but that Moral Obedience was due unto him namely that he should be believed in trusted and obeyed as the First Cause Last End and Soveraign Lord of all But the entrance of sin laying the sinner absolutely under the Curse of God utterly put an end to this Order of things Man was now to have perished immediately and an end to be put unto the Law of this Obedience But here in the Soveraign Will of God an Interposition was made between sin and the sentence and man was respited from destruction All Worship following hereon even that which was before natural by the Law of creation is now resolved into an Arbitrary Act of Gods will And unto this end is all worship designed namely to give glory unto God For as God hath said that he will be sanctified in all that draw nigh unto him that is in his worship and that therein he will be glorified Lev. 10. 3. and that he that offereth him praise that is performeth any part of his Worship and Service Glorifieth him Psal. 50. 23. So the nature of the thing it self declareth that it can have no other end By this he hath all his glory even from the inanimate Creation 4. Consider That God hath not prescribed any Worship of himself unto the Angels that sinned They are indeed under his Power and he useth them as he pleaseth to serve the ends of his holy Providence Bounds he prescribes unto them by his Power and keeps them in dread of the full execution of his Wrath. But he requires not of them that they should believe in him They believe indeed and tremble They have a natural Apprehension of the Being Power Providence Holiness and Righteousness of God which is inseparable from their Natures and they have an expectation from thence of that punishment and vengeance which is due unto them which is inseparable from them as sinners And this is their faith But to believe in God that is to put their trust in him to resign up themselves unto him God requires it not of them The same is the case with them also as to Love and Fear and Delight all inward Affections which are the proper Worship of God These they have not nor doth God any longer require them in them They eternally cast them off in their first sin And where these are not where they are not required where they cannot be there no outward Worship can be prescribed or appointed For External instituted Worship is nothing but the way that God assigns and chooseth to express and exercise the inward Affections of our minds towards him He rules the fallen Angels per nutum Providentiae not per verbum praecepti Now as God dealt with the Angels so also would he have dealt with mankind had he left them all under the Curse without remedy or hope of relief As he doth with them he eternally satisfies himself in that Revenue of Glory which ariseth unto him in their punishment so also he would have done with these had there been no forgiveness with him for them He would not have required them to fear love or obey him or have appointed unto them any way of Worship whereby to express such affections towards him For to what end should he have done it What Righteousness would admit that Service Duty and Obedience should be prescribed unto them who could not ought not to have any Expectation or hope of Acceptance or Reward This is contrary to the very first notion which God requires in us of his Nature For he that cometh unto God must believe that he is and that he is a Rewarder of all them that diligently seek him Heb. 11. 6. which would not be so should he appoint a voluntary Worship and not propose a Reward to the Worshippers Wherefore 3. It is evident that God by the prescription of a Worship unto sinners doth fully declare that there is forgiveness with him for them For 1. He manifests thereby that he is willing to receive a new Revenue of Glory from them This as we have proved is the end of Worship This he would never have done but with a design of Accepting and Rewarding to his creatures For do we think that he will be beholding unto them That he will take and admit of their voluntary reasonable service according to his Will and Command without giving them a Reward yea and such on one as their Obedience holds no proportion unto no such thing would become his infinite sell sufficiency Goodness and Bounty This the Wife of Manoah well pleads Judg. 13. 23. If saith she the Lord were pleased to kill us he would not have received a meat offering and a burnt-ofsering at our hands His
Acceptance of Worship from us is an infallible Demonstration that he will not execute against us the severity of the first curse And this is clearly evidenced in the first Record of solemn instituted Worship performed by sinners Gen. 4 4. God had Respect unto Abel and his Offering Some think that God gave a visible pledge of his acceptance of Abel and his Offering it may be it was by fire from Heaven For how else should Cain so instantly know that his Brother and his Offering were accepted but that he and his were refused However it were it is evident that what Testimony God gave of the Acceptance of his Offering the same he gave concerning his Person and that in the first place he had respect unto Abel and then to his Offering And therefore the Apostle saith that hereby he obtained witness that he was Righteous Heb. 11. 4. that is the Witness or Testimony of God himself Now this was in the forgiveness of his sins without which he could neither be Righteous nor accepted for he was a sinner This God declared by Acceptance of his Worship And thus we also if we have any Testimony of Gods Acceptance of us in any part of his Worship should employ it to the same end Hath God enlarged our hearts in prayer hath he given us an Answer unto any of our supplications hath he refreshed our hearts in the preaching and dispensation of the Word or any other Ordinance We are not to rest in the particular about which our communion with him hath been Our doing so is the cause why we lose our experiences They lye scattered up and down separated from their proper root and so are easily lost But this is that which we should first improve such particular experiences in the Worship of God unto namely that God hath pardoned our sins and accepted our persons thereon for without that none of our Worship or Service would please him or be accepted with him 2. Hereby God lets us know that he deals with us upon new Terms so that notwithstanding sin we may enjoy his love and favour For this we have the engagement of his Truth and Veracity and he cannot deceive us but yet by this command of his for his Worship we should be deceived if there were not forgiveness with him For it gives us encouragement to expect and Assurance of finding Acceptance with him which without it cannot be obtained This then God declares by his Institution of and command for his Worship namely that there is nothing that shall indispensably hinder those who give-up themselves unto the Obedience of Gods commands from enjoying his love and favour and communion with him 4. For matter of fact it is known and confessed that God hath appointed a Worship for sinners to perform All the Institutions of the Old and New Testament bear witness hereunto God was the Author of them And men know not what they do when either they neglect them or would be intermixing their own Imaginations with them What can the mind of man conceive or invent that may have any influence into this matter to secure the souls of Believers of their Acceptance with God Is there any need of their Testimony to the Truth Faithfulness and Goodness of God These things he hath taken upon himself This then is that which is to be fixed on our souls upon our first Invitation unto Religious Worship namely that God intends a new Revenue of Glory from us and therefore declares that there is a way for the taking away of our sins without which we can give no Glory to him by our Obedience and this is done only by forgiveness 5. There are some Ordinances of Worship appointed for this very end and purpose to confirm unto us the forgiveness of sin Especially in that Worship which is instituted by the Lord Jesus under the New Testament I shall instance in one or two First The Ordinance of Baptism This was accompanied with the dawning of the Gospel in the Ministry of John Baptist And he expresly declared in his Sermons upon it that it was instituted of God to declare the Remission of sins Mark 1. 4. It is true the Lord Christ submitted unto that Ordinance and was baptized by John who had no sin But this belonged unto the Obedience which God required of him as for our sakes he was made under the Law He was to observe all Ordinances and Institutions of the Worship of God not for any need he had in his own Person of the especial Ends and significations of some of them yet as he was our Sponsor surety and Mediator standing in our stead in all that he so did he was to yield obedience unto them that so he might fulfill all Righteousness Matth. 3. 13. So was he circumcised so he was baptized both which had respect unto sin though absolutely free from all sin in his own Person and that because he was free from no Obedience unto any Command of God But as was said Baptism it self as appointed to be an Ordinance of Worship for sinners to observe was a Declaration of that forgiveness that is with God It was so in its first Institution God calls a man in a marvellous and miraculous manner gives him a Ministry from Heaven commands him to Go and Baptize all those who confessing their sins and professing Repentance of them should come to him to have a Testimony of forgiveness And as to the especial nature of this Ordinance he appoints it to be such as to represent the certainty and truth of his Grace in pardon unto their senses by a visible pledge He lets them know that he would take away their sin wherein their spiritual defilement doth consist even as Water takes away the outward filth of the body and that hereby they shall be saved as surely as Noah and his Family were saved in the Ark swimming upon the waters 1 Pet. 3. 21. Now how great a deceit must needs in this whole matter have been put upon poor sinners if it were not infallibly certain that they might obtain forgiveness with God After the Entrance of this Ordinance in the Ministry of John the Lord Christ takes it into his own hand and commands the observation of it unto all his Disciples I dispute not now who are the proper immediate objects of it whether they only who actually can make profession of their faith or Believers with their infant seed For my part I believe that all whom Christ loves and pardons are to be made partakers of the pledge thereof And the sole Reason which they of old insisted on why the infants of Believing Parents should not be baptized was because they thought they had no sin and therein we know their mistake But I treat not now of these things only this I say is certain that in the prescription of this Ordinance unto his Church the great Intention of the Lord Christ was to ascertain unto us the forgiveness of sins
suppose he hath not the thing in his Power to bestow on us or that his Will is wholly averse from so doing is to reproach him with want of Truth Faithfulness and Holiness and not to be God For what sincerity can be in such proceedings Is it consistent with any Divine Excellency Could it have any other end but to deceive poor creatures either to delude them if they do pray according to his command or to involve them in further guilt if they do not God forbid any such thoughts should enter into our hearts But 3. To put this whole matter out of question God hath promised to hear our prayers and in particular those which we make unto him for the forgiveness of sin So our Saviour hath assured us that what we ask in his name it shall be done for us And he hath as we have shewed taught us to ask this very thing of God as our Heavenly Father that is in his name For in and through him alone is he a Father unto us I need not insist on particular Promises to this purpose they are as you know multiplyed in the Scriptures What hath been spoken may suffice to establish our present Argument namely that Gods prescription of Religious Worship unto sinners doth undeniably prove that with him there is forgiveness especially considering that the principal parts of the Worship so prescribed and appointed by him are peculiarly designed to confirm us in the faith thereof And this is the design of the words that we do insist upon There is forgiveness with thee that thou maist be feared The fear of God as we have shewed in the Old Testament doth frequently express not that gracious Affection of our minds which is distinctly so called but that whole Worship of God wherein that and all other Gracious Affections towards God are to be exercised Now the Psalmist tells us that the foundation of this fear or Worship and the only motive and encouragement for sinners to engage in it and give up themselves unto it is this that there is forgiveness with God Without this no sinner could fear serve or worship him This therefore is undeniably proved by the Institution of this Worship which was proposed unto confirmation The end of all these things as we shall afterwards at large declare is to encourage poor sinners to believe and to evidence how inexcusable they will be left who notwithstanding all this do through the power of their lusts and unbelief refuse to come to God in Christ that they may be pardoned Yea the laying open of the certainty and fulness of the evidence given unto this truth makes it plain and conspicuous whence it is that men perish in and for their sins Is it for want of Mercy Goodness Grace or Patience in God Is it through any defect in the Mediation of the Lord Christ Is it for want of the mightiest encouragements and most infallible Assurances that with God there is Forgiveness Not at all but meerly on the account of their own obstinacy stubbornness and perversness They will not come unto this Light yea they hate it because their deeds are evil They will not come to Christ that they may have life It is meerly darkness blindness and love of sin that brings men to destruction And this is laid open and all pretences and excuses are removed and the shame of mens lusts made naked by the full confirmation of this Truth which God hath furnished us withal Take heed you that hear or read these things if they are not mixed with faith they will add greatly to your misery Every Argument will be your Torment But these considerations must be insisted on afterwards Moreover if you will take into your minds what hath been delivered in particular concerning the nature and end of the Worship of God which you attend unto you may be instructed in the use and due observation of it When you address your selves unto it remember that this is that which God requires of you who are sinners That this he would not have done but with thoughts and intention of mercy for sinners Bless him with all your souls that this is laid as the Foundation of all that you have to do with him You are not utterly cast off because you are sinners Let this support and warm your hearts when you go to hear to pray or any duty of Worship Consider what is your principal work in the whole You are going to deal with God about Forgiveness in the Being Causes Consequents and Effects of it Hearken what he speaks declares or reveals about it mix his Revelation and Promises with faith Enquire diligently into all the Obedience and Thankfulness all those duties of Holiness and Righteousness which he justly expects from them who are made partakers of it so shall you observe the Worship of God unto his Glory and your own Advantage The giving and establishing of the New Covenant another Evidence of Forgiveness with God The Oath of God engaged in the confirmation thereof VIII Another Evidence hereof may be taken from the making establishing and ratifying of the New Covenant That God would make a new Covenant with his people is often promised often declared See among other places Jer. 31. 31 32. and that he hath done so accordingly the Apostle at large doth manifest Heb. 8. 8 9 10 11 12. Now herein sundry things unto our present purpose may be considered For 1. It is supposed that God had before made another Covenant with mankind With reference hereunto is this said to be a new one It is opposed unto another that was before it and in comparison whereof that is called old and this said to be new as the Apostle speaks expresly in the place before mentioned Now a Covenant between God and man is a thing Great and Marvellous whether we consider the nature of it or the Ends of it In its own nature it is a Convention Compact and Agreement for some certain ends and purposes between the Holy Creator and his poor creatures How infinite how unspeakable must needs the Grace and Condescention of God in this matter be For what is poor miserable man that God should set his heart upon him that he should as it were give bounds to his Soveraignty over him and enter into terms of Agreement with him For whereas before he was a meer object of his Absolute Dominion made at his Will and for his Pleasure and on the same reasons to be crushed at any time into nothing Now he hath a bottom and ground given him to stand upon whereon to expect good things from God upon the account of his Faithfulness and Righteousness God in a Covenant gives those holy properties of his Nature unto his Creatures as his hand or arm for him to lay hold upon and by them to plead and argue with him And without this a man could have no foundation for any entercourse or Communion with God or of any expectation from
this matter and the Law of its performance And there is the Will of the Son in answer thereunto and his delight in fulfilling that Law which was prescribed unto him Let us now consider to what purpose was this Eternal Counsel of Peace This Agreement of the Father and Son from Eternity about the State and Condition of Mankind If God would have left them all to perish under the guilt of their sins there had been no need at all of any such thoughts design or Counsel God had given unto them a Law Righteous and Holy which if they transgressed he had threatned them with eternal destruction Under the Rule disposal and power of this Law he might have righteously left them to stand or fall according to the verdict and sentence thereof But now he assures us he reveals unto us that he had other thoughts in this matter that there were other Counsels between the Father and the Son concerning us And these such as the Son was delighted in the prospect of his Accomplishment of them What can these thoughts and counsels be but about a way for their deliverance which could no otherwise be but by the forgiveness of sins For whatever else be done yet if God mark iniquities there is none can stand Hearken therefore poor sinner and have hope God is consulting about thy deliverance and freedom And what cannot the Wisdom and Grace of the Father and Son effect and accomplish And to this end was the Son sent into the world which is the second thing proposed to Consideration 2. Whom did God send about this business The Scripture layes great weight and Emphasis on this consideration faith must do so also John 3. 16. God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son So 1 John 4. 9. In this was manifested the love of God towards us because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world that we might live through him And again v. 10. Herein is love not that we loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiations of our sins And who is this that is thus sent and called the only begotten Son of God Take a double description of him one out of the Old Testament and another from the new The first from Isa. 9. 6. To us a Child is born to us a Son is given and the Government shall be upon his shoulders and his name shall be called Wonderful Counsellor the mighty God the everlasting Father the Prince of Peace The other from Heb. 1. 2 3. God hath spoken unto us by his Son whom he hath appointed heir of all by whom also he made the worlds who being the brightness of his Glory and the express Image of his Person upholding all things by the word of his power when he had by himself purged our sins sate down on the right hand of the Majesty on high This is he who was sent in Nature he was glorious even over all God blessed for ever In Answerableness unto the Father the brightness of his Glory and the express Image of his person possessed of all the same essential Properties with him So that what we find in him we may be assured of in the Father also for he that hath seen him hath seen the Father who is in him In Power Omnipotent for he made all things and upholding all things with an unspeakable facility by the Word of his power In Office exalted over all sitting at the right hand of the Majesty on high In Name the Mighty God the Everlasting Father so that whatever he came about he will assuredly accomplish and fulfill for what should hinder or let this Mighty One from perfecting his design Now this consideration raiseth our Evidence to that height as to give us an unquestionable Assurance in this matter Here is a near and a particular Object for faith to be exercised about and to rest in Wherefore did this glorious Son of God come and Tabernacle amongst poor sinners We beheld the glory of the Eternal Word the glory of the only begotten of the Father and he was made flesh 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and pitched his Tabernacle amongst us John 1. 14. To what end It was no other but to work out and accomplish the Eternal Counsel of Peace towards sinners before mentioned to procure for them and to declare unto them the forgiveness of sin And what greater evidence what greater Assurance can we have that there is forgiveness with God for us he himself hath given it as a Rule that what is done by giving an only begotten or an only beloved Son gives assured Testimony of reality and sincerity in the thing that is confirmed by it So he sayes unto Abraham Gen. 22. 12. Now I know that thou fearest God seeing that thou hast not withheld thy Son thy only Son from me This way it may be known or no way And they are blessed Conclusions that faith may make from this consideration now I know that there is forgiveness with God seeing he hath not withheld his Son his only Son that he might accomplish it To this purpose the Apostle teacheth us to reason Rom. 8. 32. He that spared not his own Son but delivered him up for us all how shall he not with him also freely give us all things What further can any soul desire What ground remains for unbelief to stand upon in this matter Is there any thing more to be done herein It was to manifest that there is forgiveness with him and to make way for the exercise of it that God sent his Son that the Son of God came into the world as will afterwards more fully appear 3. To this sending of the Son of God to this purpose there is evidence and security added from the Manner wherein he was sent How was this Not in Glory not in Power not in an open discovery of his Eternal Power and Godhead Had it been so we might have thought that he had come meerly to manifest and glorifie himself in the world And this he might have done without thoughts of mercy or Pardon towards us But he came quite in another manner He was seen in the likeness of sinful flesh Rom. 8 3. In the form of a servant Phil. 2. 10. Being made of a woman made under the Law Gal. 4. 4. What he endured suffered underwent in that state and condition is in some measure known unto us all All this could not be meerly and firstly for himself All that he expected at the close of it was to be glorified with that glory which he had with the Father before the world was John 17. 5. It must then be for our sakes and for what to save and deliver us from that condition of wrath at present and future expectation of Vengeance which we had cast our selves into by sin that is to procure for us the forgiveness of sin Had not God designed Pardon for sin he would never have sent his
Son in this manner to testifie it And he did it because it could no other way be brought about as hath been declared Do we doubt whether there be forgiveness with God or no or whether we shall obtain it if we address our selves unto him for to be made partakers of it Consider the Condition of his Son in the world review his Afflictions Poverty Temptation Sorrows Sufferings Then ask our souls To what end was all this And if we can find any other design in it any other Reason Cause or Necessity of it but only and meerly to testifie and declare that there is forgiveness with God and to purchase and procure the Communication of it unto us let us abide in and perish under our fears But if this be so we have sufficient warranty to assure our souls in the expectation of it 4. Besides all this there ensues upon what went before that great and wonderfull Issue in the death of the Son of God This thing was great and marvellous and we may a little enquire into what it was that was designed therein And hereof the Scripture gives us a full account As 1. That he dyed to make Attonement for Sin or Reconciliation for Iniquity Dan. 9. 24. He gave his life a ransom for the sins of many Matth. 20. 28. 1 Tim. 2. 6. He was in it made sin that others might become the righteousness of God in him 2 Cor. 5. 20. Rom. 8. 3. Therein he bare our sins in his body on the Tree 1 Pet. 2. 24. This was the state of this matter Notwithstanding all the Love Grace and condescention before mentioned yet our sins were of that nature and so directly opposite unto the Justice and Holiness of God that unless Attonement were made and a Price of Redemption paid there could be no Pardon no forgiveness obtained This therefore he undertook to do and that by the Sacrifice of himself answering all that was prefigured by and represented in the Sacrifices of old as the Apostle largely declares Heb. 10. 5 6 7 8 9. And herein is the forgiveness that is in God copied out and exemplified so clearly and evidently that he that cannot read it will be cursed unto Eternity Yea and let him be accursed for what can be more required to justifie God in his eternal destruction He that will not believe his Grace as testified and exemplified in the Blood of his Son let him perish without remedy Yea but 2. The Curse and Sentence of the Law lyes on record against sinners It puts in its Demands against our acquittance and layes an obligation upon us unto punishment And God will not reject nor destroy his Law unless it be answered there is no acceptance for sinners This therefore in the next place his death was designed unto As he satisfied and made Attonement by it unto Justice that was the fountain spring and cause of the Law so he fulfilled and answered the demands of the Law as it was an Effect of the Justice of God So Rom. 8. 13. He suffered in the likeness of sinful flesh that the Righteousness of the Law might be fulfilled and answered He answered the Curse of the Law when he was made a Curse for us Gal. 3. 13. And so became as to the Obedience of the Law the end of the Law for Righteousness unto them that do believe Rom. 10. 3 4. And as to the penalty that it threatned he bore it removed it and took it out of the way So hath he made way for forgiveness through the very heart of the Law it hath not one word to speak against the pardon of them that do believe But 3. Sinners are under the power of Satan he layes a claim unto them and by what means shall they be rescued from his interest and dominion This also his death was designed to accomplish For as he was manifest to destroy the works of the Devil 1 John 3. 8. So by death he destroyed him that had the power of death Heb. 2. 14. That is to despoil him of his Power to destroy his Dominion to take away his plea unto sinners that believe as we have at large elsewhere declared And by all these things with many other concernments of his death that might be instanced in we are abundantly secured of the forgiveness that is with God And of his willingness that we should be made partakers thereof 5. Is this all Did his Work cease in his death Did he no more for the securing of the forgiveness of sins unto us but only that he dyed for them Yes he lives also after death for the same end and purpose This Son of God in that nature which he assumed to expiate sin by death lives again after death to secure unto us and to compleat the forgiveness of sins And this he doth two wayes 1. Being raised from that death which he underwent to make Attonement for sin by the Power and Good Will of God he evidenceth and testifieth unto us that he hath fully performed the work he undertook and that in our behalf and for us he hath received a discharge Had he not answered the guilt of sin by his death he had never been raised from it 2. He lives after death a Mediatory Life to make intercession for us that we may receive the forgiveness of sin as also himself to give it out unto us which things are frequently made use of to encourage the souls of men to believe and therefore shall not at present be further insisted on Thus then stands this matter that Mercy might have a way to exercise it self in forgiveness with a consistency unto the Honour of the Righteousness and Law of God was the Son of God so sent for the ends and purposes mentioned Now herein consisteth the greatest Work that God did ever perform or ever will It was the most eminent product of Infinite Wisdom Goodness Grace and Power And herein do all the Excellencies of God shine forth more gloriously than in all the works of his hands Let us then wisely ponder and consider this matter let us bring our own souls with their Objections unto this Evidence and see what exception we have to lay against it I know nothing will satisfie unbelief the design of it is to make the soul find that to be Iso hereafter which it would perswade it of here namely that there is no forgiveness in God And Satan who makes use of this Engine knows full well that there is none for them who believe there is none or rather will not believe that there is any For it will at the last day be unto men according unto their faith or unbelief He that believeth aright and he that believeth not that forgiveness is with God as to their own particulars shall neither of them be deceived But what is it that can be reasonably excepted against this evidence this foundation of our faith in this matter God hath not sent his Son in vain which
It is only this a Saviour is born a way of escape is provided and further they do not proceed Yet this they say is a matter of great joy as it was indeed It is so to every burdned convinced sinner a matter of unspeakable joy and rejoycing Oh blessed words a Saviour is born This gives life to a sinner and opens a door of hope in the valley of Achor The first rescue of a sin distressed soul. Upon the matter it was all that the Saints for many Ages had to live upon and that not in the enjoyment but only the expectation They lived on that Word the seed of the Woman shall break the Serpents head that is a way of deliverance is provided for sinners This with all diligence they enquired into 1 Pet. 1. 10 11 12. and improved it to their eternal advantage As of old Jacob when he saw the Waggons that his Son Joseph had sent to bring him unto him it is said his Spirit revived So did they upon their obscure discovery of a way of forgiveness They looked upon the Promise of it as that which God had sent to bring them unto him and they saw the day of the coming of Christ in it and rejoyced How much more have Sinners now Reason so to do when the substance of the Promise is exhibited and the news of his Comeing proclaimed unto them This then is a great matter namely that terms of Peace and Reconciliation are proposed in that it is made known that there is forgiveness with God Upon these Considerations then we pursue that Exhortation which we have in hand If any of you were justly condemned to a cruel and shamefull death and lay trembling in the expectation of the execution of it and a man designed for that purpose should come unto him and tell him that there were terms propounded on which his life might be spared only he came away like Ahimaaz before he heard the particulars would it not be a reviving unto him would he not cry out Pray enquire what they are for there is not any thing so difficult which I will not undergoe to free my self from this miserable condition Would it not change the whole frame of the spirit of such a man and as it were put new life into him But now if instead hereof he should be froward stubborn and obstinate take no notice of the Messenger or say Let the Judge keep his terms to himself without inquiring what they are that he would have nothing to do with them would not such a person be deemed to perish deservedly doth he not bring a double destruction upon himself first of deserving death by his crimes and then by refusing the honest and good way of delivery tendred unto him I confess it often times falls out that men may come to enquire after these terms of Peace which when they are revealed they like them not but with the young man in the Gospel they go away sorrowfull The cursed wickedness and misery of which condition which befalls many convinced persons shall be spoken unto afterwards At present I speak unto them who never yet attended in sincerity unto these terms nor seriously enquired after them Think you what you please of your Condition and of your selves or choose whether you will think of it or no pass your time in a full regardlesness of your present and future Estate Yet indeed thus it is with you as to your eternal concerns you lye under the sentence of a bitter shamefull and everlasting death you have done so in the midst of all your jollity ever since you came into this world And you are in the hand of him who can in the twinkling of an eye destroy both body and soul in Hell fire In this state and condition men are sent on purpose to let you know that there are terms of Peace there is yet a way of escape for you And that you may not avoid the issue aimed at they tell you that God that cannot lye hath commanded them to tell you so if you question the truth of what they say they are ready to produce their warrant under Gods own hand and seal here then is no room for tergiversation or excuses Certainly if you have any care of your eternal estate if you have any drop of tender blood running in your veins towards your own souls if you have any rational considerations dwelling in your minds if all be not defaced and obliterated through the power of lust and love of sin you cannot but take your selves to be unspeakably concerned in this proposal But now if instead hereof you give up your selves unto the power of unbelief the will of Sathan the love of your lusts and this present world so as to take no notice of this errand or message from God nor once seriously to enquire after the nature and importance of the terms proposed Can you escape shall you be delivered will your latter end be peace The Lord knows it will be otherwise with you and that unto Eternity So the Apostle assures us 2 Cor. 4. 3 4. If our Gospel be hid it is hid to them that are lost in whom the God of this world hath blinded the minds of them that believe not lest the light of the Glorious Gospel of Christ who is the Image of God should shine into them If you receive not this word if it be bid from you it is from the power and efficacy of Sathan upon your minds And what will be the end Perish you must and shall and that for ever Remember the Parable of our Saviour Luke 14. 31 32. What King going to make warre against another King sitteth not down first and consulteth whether he be able with Ten Thousand to meet him that cometh against him with Twenty Thousand or else while the other is yet a great way off he sendeth an Ambassage and desireth conditions of Peace That which he teacheth in this Parable is the necessity that lyes on us of making peace with God whom we have provoked and justly made to be our Enemy as also our utter impotency to resist and withstand him when he shall come forth in a way of Judgement and Vengeance against us But here lyes a difference in this matter such as is allowed in all similitudes Amongst men at variance it is not his part who is the stronger and secure of success to send to the weaker whom he hath in his Power to accept of terms of Peace Here it is otherwise God who is infinitely powerfull justly provoked and able to destroy poor sinners in a moment when now he is not very farre off but at the very door sends himself an Ambassage with Conditions of Peace And shall he be refused by you will you yet neglect his offers How great then will be your destruction Hear then once more poor sin-hardened sensless souls ye stout-hearted that are far from Righteousness Is it nothing unto you that the great and
life and waies before his conversion I was saith he injuricus and a blasphemer Such reflexions ought persons to have on any great provoking occasions of sin that may keep them humble and necessitate them constantly to look for a fresh sense of pardon through the blood of Christ. If such sins lye neglected and not considered according to their importance they will weaken the soul in its comforts whilst it lives in this world 2. If there were any signal intimations made of the Good Will and Love of God to the soul which it broke off from through the power of its corruption and temptation they require a due humbling consideration all our daies but this hath been before spoken unto Secondly In that part of our lives which upon the call of God we have given up unto him There are two sorts of sins that do effectually impeach our future peace and comfort which ought therefore to be frequently renewed and issued in the blood of Christ. First Such as by reason of any aggravating circumstances have been accompanied with some especial unkindness towards God Such are sins after warnings communications of a sense of Love after particular ingagements against them relapses omissions of great opportunities and advantages for the furtherance of the Glory of God in the world These kinds of sins have much unkindness attending them and will be searched out if we cover them 2. Sins attended with scandal towards fewer or more or any one single person who is or may be concerned in us The aggravations of these kind of sins are commonly known Thirdly The various outward states and conditions which we have passed through as of Prosperity and Afflictions should in like manner fall under this search and consideration It is but seldom that we fill up our duty or answer the mind of God in any dispensation of providence And if our neglect herein be not managed aright they will undoubtedly hinder and interrupt our peace RULE V. The fifth Rule Distinction between Unbelief and Jealousie The sixth Rule Distinction between Faith and Spiritual Sense Learn to distinguish between Unbelief and Jealousie There is a twofold Unbelief 1. That which is universal and privative such as is in all unregenerate persons they have no Faith at all that is they are dead men and have no principles of spiritual life This I speak not of it is easily distinguished from any Grace being the utter enemy and privation as it were of them all 2. There is an Unbelief partial and negative consisting in a staggering at or Questioning of the promises This is displeasing to God a sin which is attended with unknown Aggravations though men usually indulge it in themselves It is well expressed Psal. 78. 19 20. God had promised his presence to the people in the wilderness to feed sustain and preserve them How did they entertain these promises of God Can he say they give bread can he give flesh unto his people vers 20. What great sin crime or offence is in this enquiry Why vers 19. This is called speaking against God they spake against God they said Can he furnish a Table in the wilderness Unbelief in questioning of the promises is a speaking against God a limiting of the holy One of Israel as it is called vers 41. An assigning of bounds to his Goodness Power Kindness and Grace according to what we find in our selves which he abhors By this Unbelief we make God like our selves that is our limiting of him expecting no more from him than either we can do or see how it may be done This you will say was a great sin in the Israelites because they had no reason to doubt or Question the promises of God It is well we think so now But when they were so many thousand families that had not one bit of bread nor drop of water aforehand for themselves and their little ones there is no doubt but they thought themselves to have as good reason to question the promises as any one of you can think that you have We are ready to suppose that we have all the reasons in the world every one supposeth he hath those that are more cogent than any other hath to question the promises of Grace Pardon and forgiveness and therefore the questioning of them is not their sin but their duty But pretend what we will this is speaking against God limiting of him and that which is our keeping off from stedfastness and Comfort But now there may be a Jealousie in a Gracious heart concerning the love of Christ which is acceptable unto him at least which he is tender towards that may be mistaken for this questioning of the promises by Unbelief and so help to keep the soul in darkness and disconsolation this the spouse expresseth in her self Cant. 8. 6. Love is strong as death jealousie is hard as the Grave the Coals thereof are Coals of fire which hath a most vehement flame Love is the foundation The root but yet it bears that fruit which is bitter although it be wholsome that which fills the soul with great perplexities and makes it cry out for a nearer and more secure admission into the presence of Christ. Set me saith the Spouse as a Seal upon thy heart as a seal upon thine Arms for Jealousie is cruel as the Grave I cannot bear this distance from thee these fears of my being disregarded by thee Set me as a seal on thy heart Now this spiritual jealousie is the solicitousness of the mind of a believer who hath a sincere love for Christ about the heart affection and good will of Christ towards it arising from a consciousness of its own unworthiness to be beloved by him or accepted with him All causeless jealousie ariseth from a secret sence and conviction of unworthiness in the person in whom it is and a high esteem of him that is the object of it or concerning whose love and affection any one is Jealous So it is with this spiritual Jealousie the root of it is Love sincere love that cannot be quenched by waters nor drowned by floods v. 7. which nothing can utterly prevail against or overcome This gives the soul high thoughts of the glorious Excellencies of Christ fills it with admiration of him these are mixed with a due sense of its own baseness vileness and unworthiness to be owned by him or accepted with him Now if these thoughts on the one hand and on the other be not directed guided and managed aright by faith which alone can shew the soul how the Glory of Christ consisteth principally in this that he being so excellent and glorious is pleased to love us with love unexpressible who are vile and sinful Questionings about the love of Christ and those attended with much anxiety and trouble of mind will arise Now this frame may sometimes be taken for a questioning of the promises of God and that to be a defect in faith which is an excess of love
observed that special cases are so varied by their Circumstances that it is very rare that any Resolutions of them are every way adequate and suited unto the Apprehensions of them that are exercised with them I shall therefore call things unto some general heads whereunto most of the Objections that distressed sinners make against their own peace may be reduced and leave the Light of them to be applied in particular unto the relief of the souls of men as God shall be pleased to make them effectual Second General Head of the Application of the Truth insisted on Grounds of Spiritual Disquietments considered The first Afflictions Waies and means of the Aggravation of Afflictions Rules about them That which now lyeth before us is the second part of the second General Use educed from the Truth insisted on Our aim is to lead on souls towards peace with God through a gracious perswasion of their Interest in that forgiveness which is with him And it consists as was declared in a Consideration of some of those disquietments which befall the minds of men and keep them off from Establishment in this matter And first such disquietments and objections against the peace of the soul and its acceptance with God will arise from Afflictions they have done so of old they do so in many at this day Afflictions I say greatned unto the mind from their Nature or by their Concomitants do oft-times variously affect it and sometimes prevail to darken it so far as to ingenerate thoughts that they are all messengers of wrath all tokens of displeasure and so consequently evidences that we are not par doned or accepted with God Now this is a time of great Afflictions unto many and those some of them such as have innumerable aggravating circumstances accompanying of them Some have come with a dreadfull surprizal in things not looked for such as falls not out in the providence of God in many Generations Such is the condition of them who are reduced to the utmost extremity by the late consuming fire some have had their whole families all their posterity taken from them in a few daies they have been suddenly bereaved as in the Plague Some in their own persons or in their Relations have had sore long and grievous tryals from Oppressions and Persecutions and these things have various effects on the minds of men Some we find crying with that wicked King This evil is of the Lord why should we wait any longer for him and give up themselves to seek relief from their own lusts Some bear up under their troubles with a natural stoutness of spirit some have received a sanctified use and improvement of their trials with joy in the Lord. But many we find to go heavily under their burdens having their minds darkned with many misapprehensions of the Love of God and of their own personal interest in his Grace It is not therefore unseasonable to speak a little to this Head of trouble in our entrance Outward troubles I say are oftentimes occasions if not the causes of great inward distresses You know how the Saints of old expressed their sense of them and conflicts with them The complaints of David are familiar to all who attend unto any communion with God in these things so are those of Job Heman Jonah Jeremiah and others neither do they complain only of their troubles but of the sense which they had of Gods displeasure in and under them and of his hiding of his face from them whilest they were so exercised It is not otherwise at present as is known unto such as converse with many who are either surprized with unexpected troubles or worn out with tryals and disappointments of an expected end They consider themselves both absolutely and with respect unto others and on both accounts are filled with dark thoughts and despondencies Saith one I am rolled from one trial unto another the clouds with me return still after the rain All the billows and water-spouts of God go over me In my person it may be pressed with sickness pains troubles in my Relations with their sins miscarriages or death in my outward state in wants losses dis-reputation I am even as a withered branch Surely if God had any especial regard unto my soul it would not be thus with me or some timely end would have been put unto these dispensations On the other hand they take a view of some other Professors they see that their Tables are spread day by day that the Candle of the Lord shines continually on their tabernacle and that in all things they have their hearts desire Setting aside the common attendencies of humane nature and nothing befalls them grievous in the world Thus it is with them And surely had I an interest in his Grace in Pardon the God of Israel would not thus pursue a Flea in the Mountains nor set himself in battel array against a leaf driven to and fro with the wind he would spare me a little and let me alone for a moment but as things are with me I fear my way is hidden from the Lord and my Judgement is passed over from my God These kind of thoughts do perplex the minds of men and keep them off from partaking of that strong consolation which God is abundantly wiling they should receive by a comfortable perswasion of a blessed Interest in that forgiveness that is with him And this was the very case of David or at least these outward Troubles were a special part of those depths out of which he cryed for relief by a sense of Pardon Grace and Redemption with God I answer to these Complaints First That there are so many excellent things spoken concerning Afflictions their Necessity their Usefulness and the like such blessed ends are assigned unto them and in many have been compassed and fulfilled by them that a man unacquainted with the exercise wherewith they are attended would think it impossible that any one should be shaken in mind as to the Love and favour of God on their account But as the Apostle tells us that no Afflictions are joyous at present but grievous So he who made in the close of his Trials that solemn profession That it was good for him that he had been affected yet we know as hath been declared how he was distressed under them There are therefore sundry Accidental things which accompany great Afflictions that seem to exempt them from the common Rule and the promise of Love and Grace As 1. The Remembrance of past and buryed misearriages and sins lyes in the bosom of many Afflictions It was so with Job Thou makest me saith he to possess the sins of my youth See his plea to that purpose chap. 13. 23 24 25 26 27. In the midst of his troubles and distresses God revived upon his spirit a sense of former sins even the sins of his youth and made him to possess them he filled his soul and mind with thoughts of them
we may regularly found a Judgement concerning our selves and it is great folly to wave them all and put the issue of the matter upon one circumstance If a man have a tryal at law wherein he hath many evidences speaking for him only one circumstance is dubious and in question He will not cast the weight of his Cause on that disputed circumstance but will plead those Evidences that are more clear and testifie more fully in his behalf I will not deny but that this matter of the time of conversion is oftimes an important circumstance In the affirmative when it is known it is of great use tending to stability and consolation but yet it is still but a circumstance such as that the being of the thing it self doth not depend upon He that is alive may know that he was born though he know neither the place where nor the time when he was so And so may he that is spiritually alive and hath ground of evidence that he is so that he was born again though he knew neither when nor where nor how And this Case is usual in persons of quiet natural Tempers who have had the advantage of education under means of light and Grace God ofttimes in such persons begins and carries on the work of his Grace insensibly so that they come to good growth and maturity before they know that they are alive Such persons come at length to be satisfied in saying with the blind man in the Gospel How our eyes were opened we know not only one thing we know whereas we were blind by nature now we see 2. Even in this matter also we must it may be be content to live by faith and to believe as well what God hath done in us if it be the matter and subject of his promises as what he hath done for us the ground whereof also is the promise and nothing else Objections from the present state and Condition of the Soul Weakness and imperfection of Duty Opposition from Indwelling Sin 3. There is another Head of Objections against the souls receiving Consolation from an interest in forgiveness arising from the consideration of its present state and condition as to actual Holiness Duties and sins Souls complain when in Darkness and under Temptations that they cannot find that Holiness nor those fruits of it in themselves which they suppose an interest in pardoning mercy will produce Their hearts they find are weak and all their Duties worthless If they were weighed in the ballance they would be all found too light In the best of them there is such a mixture of Self Hypocrisie Unbelief vain Glory that they are even ashamed and confounded with the Remembrance of them These things fill them with discouragements so that they refuse to be comforted or to entertain any refreshing perswasion from the Truth insisted on but rather conclude that they are utter strangers from that forgiveness that is with God and so continue helpless in their depths According unto the method proposed and hitherto pursued I shall only lay down some such general Rules as may support a soul under the despondencies that are apt in such a condition to befall it that none of these things may weaken it in its endeavour to lay hold of forgiveness And First This is the proper place to put in execution our seventh Rule to take heed of heartless complaints when vigorous actings of Grace are expected at our hands If it be thus indeed why lye you on your faces why do you not rise and put out your selves to the utmost giving all diligence to add one Grace to another untill you find your selves in a better frame Supposing then the putting of that Rule into practice I add that 1. Known Holiness is apt to degenerate into self righteousness What God gives us on the account of Sanctification we are ready enough to reckon on the score of Justification It is a hard thing to feel Grace and to believe as if there were none We have so much of the Pharisee in us by nature that it is sometimes well that our Good is hid from us We are ready to take our Corn and Wine and bestow them on other Lovers Were there not in our hearts a spiritually sensible principle of corruption and in our duties a discernable mixture of self it would be impossible we should walk so humbly as is required of them who hold communion with God in a Covenant of Grace and pardoning mercy It is a good life which is attended with a faith of Rightcousness and a sense of corruption Whilest I know Christs Righteousness I shall the less care to know my own Holiness To be holy is necessary to know it sometimes a Temptation 2. Even Duties of Gods Appointment when turned into self-righteousness are Gods great abhorrency Isa. 66. 2 3. What hath a good Original may be vitiated by a bad End 3. Oftentimes Holiness in the heart is more known by the Opposition that is made there to it than by its own prevalent working The Spirits Operation is known by the flesh's opposition We find a mans strength by the burdens he carryes and not the pace that he goes Oh wretched man that I am who shall deliver me from the body of this death is a better evidence of Grace and Holiness than God I thank thee I am not as other men a heart pressed grieved burdened not by the guilt of sin only which reflects with trouble on an awakened conscience but by the close adhering power of Indwelling sin tempting seducing soliciting hindring captivating conceiving restlesly disquieting may from thence have as clear an evidence of holiness as from a delightful fruit-bearing What is it that is troubled and grieved in thee What is it that seems to be almost killed and destroyed that crys out complains longs for deliverance is it not the new Creature is it not the principle of spiritual life whereof thou art partaker I speak not of trouble and disquietments for sin committed nor of fears and perturbations of mind left sin should break forth to loss shame ruine dishonour nor of the contending of a convinced Conscience lest Damnation should ensue but of the striving of the spirit against sin out of a hatred and a loathing of it upon all the mixt Considerations of Love Grace Mercy Fear the beauty of Holiness Excellency of communion with God that are proposed in the Gospel If thou seemest to thy self to be only passive in these things to do nothing but to endure the Assaults of sin Yet if thou art sensible and standest under the stroke of it as under the stroke of an Enemy there is the root of the matter And as it is thus as to the substance and Being of Holiness so it is also as to the degrees of it Degrees of Holiness are to be measured more by Opposition than self operation He may have more Grace than another who brings not forth so much fruit as the other
souls waiting in the condition described I shall only add one direction how we may be enabled to perform and discharge this duty aright which we have manifested to have been so necessary so reasonable so prevalent for the obtaining of relief and this ariseth from another of the Propositions laid down for the opening of these verses not as yet spoken unto Namely that The Word of promise is the souls great supportment in waiting for God So saith the Psalmist In his word do I hope that is the Word of promise As the Word in general is the adequate rule of all our Obedience unto God and Communion with him so there are especial parts of it that are suited unto these especial actings of our souls towards him Thus the Word of Promise or the Promise in the Word is that which our faith especially regards in our hope trust and waiting on God and it is suited to answer unto the immediate actings of our souls therein From this Word of Promise therefore that is from these promises doth the soul in its distresses take incouragement to continue waiting on God and that on these two accounts 1. Because they are declarative of God his Mind and his Will And secondly because they are communicative of grace and strength to the soul of which latter we shall not here treat 1. The End and Use of the Promise is to declare reveal and make known God unto Believers and that in an especial manner in him and concerning him which may give them encouragement to wait for him 1. The promises are a declaration of the Nature of God especially of his Goodness Grace and Love God hath put an impression of all the glorious Excellencies of his nature on his Word especially as he is in Christ on the Word of the Gospel There as in a Glass do we behold his Glory in the face of Jesus Christ. As his Commands express unto us his Holiness his Threatnings his Righteousness and Severity so do his Promises his Goodness Grace Love and Bounty And in these things do we learn all that we truly and solidly know of God that is we know him in and by his Word The soul therefore that in this condition is waiting on or for God considers the Representation which he makes of himself and of his own nature in and by the promises and receives supportment and encouragement in its duty For if God teach us by the promises what he is and what he will be unto us we have firm ground to expect from him all fruits of Benignity Kindness and Love Let the soul frame in it self that Idea of God which is exhibited in the Promises and it will powerfully prevail with it to continue in an Expectation of his gracious returns they all expressing Goodness Love Patience Forbearance Long-suffering Pardoning Mercy Grace Bounty with a full satisfactory reward This is the beauty of the Lord mentioned with admiration by the Prophet How great is his goodness how great is his beauty Zeph. 9. 17. Which is the great attractive of the soul to adhere constantly unto him Whatever difficulties arise whatever temptations interpose or wearisomeness grows upon us in our streights troubles trials and desertions let us not entertain such thoughts of God as our own perplexed imaginations may be apt to suggest unto us This would quickly cast us into a thousand impatiencies misgivings and miscarriages but the remembrance of and meditation on God in his promises as revealed by them as expressed in them is suited quite unto other ends and purposes There appears yea gloriously shines forth that Love that Wisdom that Goodness Tenderness and Grace as cannot but encourage a believing soul to abide in waiting for him 2. The Word of Promise doth not only express Gods nature as that wherein he proposeth himself unto the contemplation of faith but it also declares his Will and Purpose of acting towards the soul suitable unto his own Goodness and Grace For Promises are the declarations of Gods purpose and will to act towards Believers in Christ Jesus according to the infinite Goodness of his own nature and this is done in great variety according to the various conditions and wants of them that do believe They all proceed from the same spring of Infinite Grace but are branched into innumerable particular streams according as our necessities do require To these do waiting souls repair for stay and encouragement Their perplexities principally arise from their misapprehensions of what God is in himself and of what he will be unto them and whither should they repair to be undeceived but unto that faithfull Representation that he hath made of himself and his Will in the Word of his Grace For no man hath seen God at any time the only begotten Son who is in the bosome of the Father he hath revealed him John 1. 17. Now the Gospel is nothing but the Word of Promise explained in all the Springs Causes and Effects of it thither must we repair to be instructed in this matter The imaginations and reasonings of mens hearts will but deceive them in these things The informations or instructions of other men may do so nor have they any truth in them further than they may be resolved into the Word of Promise Here alone they may find rest and refreshment The soul of whom we speak is under troubles perplexities and distresses as to its outward condition pressed with many streights it may be on every hand and as to its spiritual estate under various apprehensions of the mind and will of God towards it as hath before at large been explained in this condition it is brought in some measure unto an holy submission unto God and a patient waiting for the issue of its trials In this estate it hath many temptations to and much working of unbelief The whole of its opposition amounts to this that it is neglected of God that its way is hid and his judgement is passed over from him that it shall not be at present delivered nor hereafter saved What course can any one advise such a one unto for his relief and to preserve his soul from fainting or deserting the duty of waiting on God wherein he is engaged but only this to search and enquire what Revelation God hath made of himself and his Will concerning him in his Word And this the promise declares Here he shall find hope patience faith expectation to be all encreased comforted encouraged Herein lyes the duty and safety of any in this condition Men may bear the first impression of any trouble with the strength courage and resolution of their natural spirits under some continuance of them they may support themselves with former experiences and other usual springs and means of consolation But if their wounds prove difficult to be cured if they despise ordinary remedies if their diseases are of long continuance this is that which they must be take themselves unto They must search into the Word of
suit not its Reason at all 1 Cor. 1. 18. 2. The Law speaks nothing to a sinner but what his Conscience assures him to be true There is a constant concurrence in the Testimony of the Law and conscience When the Law sayes this or that is a sin worthy of death conscience sayes it is even so Rom. 1. 42. And where the Law of it self as being a general Rule rests Conscience helps it on and sayes This and that sin so worthy of death is the soul guilty of then dye saith the Law as thou hast deserved Now this must needs have a mighty efficacy to prevail with the soul to give credit to the report and Testimony of the Law it speaks not one word but what he hath a witness within himself to the truth of it These witnesses alwayes agree and so it seems to be established for a truth that there is no forgiveness 3. The Law though it speak against the souls interest yet it speaks nothing but what is so just righteous and equal that it even forceth the souls consent So Paul tells us that men know this voyce of the Law to be the Judgement of God Rom. 1. 32. They know it and cannot but consent unto it that it is the Judgement of God that is good righteous equal not to be controlled And indeed what can be more righteous than its sentence It commands Obedience to the God of life and death promiseth a Reward and declares that for non-performance of duty death will be inflicted On these terms the sinner cometh into the world they are good righteous holy the soul accepts of them and knows not what it can desire better or more equal This the Apostle insists upon Rom. 7. 12 13. Wherefore the Law is holy and the commandment holy and just and good was then that which was good made death unto me Godforbid but sin that it might appear sin working death in me by that which is good that sin by the commandment might become exceeding sinful Whereever the blame falls the soul cannot but acquit the Law and confess that what it says is righteous and uncontrollably equal And it is meet things should be so Now though the Authority and credit of a Witness may go very far in a doubtful matter when there is a concurrence of more witnesses it strengthens the Testimony but nothing is so prevalent to beget belief as when the things themselves that are spoken are just and good not liable to any reasonable exception And so is it in this case unto the Authority of the Law and concurrence of conscience this also is added the Reasonableness and equity of the thing it self proposed even in the Judgement of the sinner namely that every sin shall be punished and every transgression receive a meet recompence of reward 4. But yet further What the Law sayes it speaks in the name and authority of God What it sayes then must be believed or we make God a Lyar. It comes not in its own name but in the name of him who appointed it you will say then is it so indeed Is there no forgiveness with God for this is the constant voyce of the Law which you say speaks in the name and Authority of God and is therefore to be believed I answer briefly with the Apostle What the Law speaks it speaks to them that are under the Law It doth not speak to them that are in Christ whom the Law of the Spirit of life hath set free from the Law of sin and death but to them that are under the Law it speaks and it speaks the very Truth and it speaks in the name of God and its Testimony is to be received It sayes there is no forgiveness in God namely to them that are under the Law and they that shall flatter themselves with a contrary perswasion will find themselves wofully mistaken at the great day On these and the like considerations I say there seems to be a great deal of Reason why a soul should conclude that it will be according to the testimony of the Law and that he shall not find forgiveness Law and Conscience close together and insinuate themselves into the thoughts mind and judgement of a sinner They strengthen the Testimony of one another and greatly prevail If any are otherwise minded I leave them to the tryal If ever God awaken their Consciences to a through performance of their duty if ever he open their souls and let in the light and power of the Law upon them they will find it no small work to grapple with them I am sure that eventually they prevail so far that in the preaching of the Gospel we have great cause to say Lord who hath believed our report We come with our Report of forgiveness but who believes it by whom is it received neither doth the light nor conscience nor conversation of the most allow us to suppose it is embraced Thirdly The ingrafted notions that are in the minds of men concerning the Nature and Justice of God lye against this discovery also There are in all men by nature indelible characters of the Holiness and purity of God of his Justice and hatred of sin of his invariable Righteousness in the Government of the world that they can neither depose nor lay aside For notions of God whatever they are will bear sway and rule in the heart when things are put to the tryal They were in the Heathens of old they abode with them in all their darkness as might be manifested by innumerable instances But so it is in all men by nature their inward thought is that God is an Avenger of sin that it belongs to his Rule and Government of the world his Holiness and Righteousness to take care that every sin be punished This is his Judgement which all men know as was observed before Rom. 1. 32. They know that it is a Righteous thing with God to render tribulation unto sinners From thence is that dread and fear which surprizeth men at an apprehension of the Presence of God or of any thing under him above them that may seem to come on his errand This notion of Gods avenging all sin exerts it self secretly but effectually So Adam trembled and hid himself And it was the saying of old I have seen God and shall dye When men are under any dreadful Providence thundrings lightnings tempests in darkness they tremble not so much at what they see or hear or feel as from their secret thoughts that God is nigh and that he is a consuming fire Now these inbred notions lye universally against all Apprehensions of forgiveness which must be brought into the soul from without doors having no Principle of nature to promote them It is true Men by nature have presumptions and common ingrafted notions of other properties of God besides his Holiness and Justice as of his Goodness Benignity Love of his Creatures and the like But all these have this supposition inlaid with
them in the souls of men namely that all things stand between God and his Creatures as they did at their first Creation and as they have no natural notion of forgiveness so the interposition of sin weakens disturbs darkens them as to any improvement of those Apprehensions of Goodness and Benignity which they have If they have any notion of forgiveness it is from some corrupt Tradition and not at all from any universal Principle that is inbred in nature such as are those which they have of Gods Holiness and Vindictive Justice And this is the first ground from whence it appears that a real solid discovery of forgiveness is indeed a great work many difficulties and hinderances lye in the way of its accomplishment False Presumptions of Forgiveness discovered Differences between them and Faith Evangelical Before I proceed to produce and manage the remaining Evidences of this Truth because what hath been spoken lyes obnoxious and open to an Objection which must needs rise in the minds of many that it may not thereby be rendered useless unto them I shall remove it out of the way that we may pass on to what remains It will then be said doth not all this lye directly contrary to our daily experience Do we not find all men full enough most too full of Apprehensions of Forgiveness with God What so common as God is merciful Are not the Consciences and Convictions of the most stifled by this Apprehension Can you find a man that is otherwise minded Is it not a common complaint that men presume on it unto their eternal ruine Certainly then that which all men do which every man can so easily do and which you cannot keep men off from doing though it be to their hurt hath no such difficulty in it as is pretended And on this very account hath this weak endeavour to demonstrate this Truth been by some laughed to scorn men who have taken upon them the teaching of others but as it seems had need be taught themselves the very first Principles of the Oracles of God Answ. All this then I say is so and much more to this purpose may be spoken The solly and presumption of poor souls herein can never be enough lamented But it is one thing to embrace a cloud a shadow another to have the truth in reality I shall hereafter shew the true nature of forgiveness and wherein it doth consist whereby the vanity of this self-deceiving will be discovered and laid open It will appear in the issue that notwithstanding all their pretensions that the most of men know nothing at all or not any thing to the purpose of that which is under consideration I shall therefore for the present in some few Observations shew how far this delusion of many differs from a true Gospel discovery of forgiveness such as that we are enquiring after First The common notion of forgiveness that men have in the world is twofold 1. An Atheistical Presumption on God that he is not so Just and Holy or not Just and Holy in such a way and manner as he is by some represented is the ground of their perswasion of forgiveness Men think that some Declarations of God are fitted only to make them mad That he takes little notice of these things and that what he doth he will easily pass by as they suppose better becomes him Come Let us eat and drink for to morrow we shall dye This is their inward thought the Lord will not do good nor will he do evil which sayes the Psalmist is mens thinking that God is such a one as themselves Psal. 50. 21. They have no deep nor serious thoughts of his Greatness Holiness Purity Severity but think that he is like themselves so far as not to be much moved with what they do What thoughts they have of sin the same they think God hath If with them a slight ejaculation be enough to expiate sin that their consciences be no more troubled they think it is enough with God that it be not punished The generality of men make light work of sin and yet in nothing doth it more appear what thoughts they have of God He that hath slight thoughts of sin had never great thoughts of God Indeed mens-undervaluing of sin ariseth meerly from their contempt of God All sins concernments flow from its Relation unto God And as mens apprehensions are of God so will they be of sin which is an Opposition to him This is the frame of the most of men they know little of God and are little troubled about any thing that relates unto him God is not reverenced sin is but a trifle forgiveness a matter of nothing who so will may have it for asking But shall this Atheistical wickedness of the heart of man be called a discovery of forgiveness Is not this to make God an Idol He who is not acquainted with Gods Holiness and Purity who knows not sins desert and sinfulness knows nothing of forgiveness Secondly From the doctrine of the Gospel commonly preached and made known there is a general notion begotten in the minds of men that God is ready to forgive Men I say from hence have a doctrinal Apprehension of this truth without any real satisfactory foundation of that Apprehension as to themselves This they have heard this they have been often told so they think and so they are resolved to do A general perswasion hereof spreads it self over all to whom the sound of the Gospel doth come It is not fiducially resolved into the Gospel but is an Opinion growing out of the Report of it Some relief men find by it in the common course of their Conversation in the duties of Worship which they do perform as also in their troables and distresses whether internal and of conscience or external and of Providence so that they resolve to retain it And this is that which I shall briefly speak unto and therein manifest the differences between this common prevailing Apprehension of forgiveness and Faiths discovery of it to the soul in its power First That which we reject is loose and general not fixed ingrafted or planted on the mind So is it alwayes where the minds of men receive things only in their notion and not in their power It wants fixedness and foundation which defects accompany all notions of the mind that are only retained in the memory not implanted in the Judgement They have general thoughts of it which they use as occasion serves They hear that God is a merciful God and as such they intend to deal with him For the true bottom rise and foundation of it whence or on what account the pure and holy God who will do no iniquity the Righteous God whose judgement it is that they that commit sin are worthy of death should yet pardon iniquity transgression and sin they weigh it not they consider it not or if they do it is in a slight and notional way as they consider
wrath of the Great God who will prevail at last upon you and there shall be none to deliver If you shall say Nay This is not our state we rely on Mercy and Forgiveness then let me in the fear of the Great God entreat a few things yet further of you 1. That you would seriously consider whether the forgiveness you rest on and hope in be that Gospel Forgiveness which we have before described or is it only a General Apprehension of Impunity though you are Sinners That God is mercifull and you hope in him that you shall escape the Vengeance of Hell-fire If it be thus with you forgiveness it self will not relieve you This is that of the presumptuous man Deut. 29. 19. Gospel-pardon is a thing of another nature It hath its spring in the Gracious heart of the Father is made out by a Soveraign Act of his Will rendred consistent with the Glory of his Justice and Holyness by the blood of Christ by which it is purchased in a Covenant of Grace as hath been shewed If you shall say yea this is the forgiveness we rely upon it is that which you have described Then I desire further that you would 1. Examine your own hearts how you came to have an interest in this Forgiveness to close with it and to have a right unto it A man may deceive himself as effectually by supposing that True Riches are his when they are not as by supposing his false and counterfeit ware to be good and currant how then come you to be interested in this Gospel-forgiveness If it hath befallen you you know not how if a lifeless barren inoperative perswasion of it hath crept upon your minds be not mistaken God will come and require his forgiveness at your hands and it shall appear that you have had no part nor portion in it If you shall say Nay but we were convinced of sin and rendred exceeding unquiet in our Consciences and on that account looked out after Forgiveness which hath given us Rest. Then I desire 2. That you would diligently consider to what ends and purposes you have received and do make use of this Gospel-forgiveness Hath it been to make up what was wanting and to piece up a peace in your own Consciences that whereas you could not answer your Convictions with your dutyes you would seek for relief from Forgiveness This and innumerable other wayes there are whereby men may lose their souls when they think all is well with them even on the account of Pardon and Mercy Whence is that caution of the Apostle Looking diligently lest any one should seem to fail or come short of the Grace of God Heb. 12. 15. men miss it and come short of it when they pretend themselves to be in the pursuit of it yea to have overtaken and possessed it Now if any of these should prove to be your Condition I desire 3. That you would consider seriously whether it be not high time for you to look out for a way of deliverance and escape that you may save your selves from this evil World and fly from the wrath to come The Judge stands at the door Before he deal with you as a Judge he knocks with a tender of mercy Who knows but that this may be the last time of his dealing thus with you Be you old or young you have but your season but your day it may perhaps be night with you when it is day with the rest of the World Your Sun may go down at Noon And God may swear that you shall not enter into his Rest. If you are then resolved to continue in your present condition I have no more to say unto you I am pure from your blood in that I have declared unto you the counsel of God in this thing and so I must leave you to a naked Tryal between the Great God and your Souls at the last day poor Creatures I even tremble to think how he will tear you in pieces when there shall be none to deliver Me thinks I see your poor destitute forlorn souls forsaken of lusts sins world friends Angels Men Trembling before the Throne of God full of horror and fearfull expectation of the dreadfull sentence Oh that I could mourn over you whilest you are joyned to all the living whilest there is yet hope oh that in this your day you knew the things of your peace But now of you shall say Nay but we will seek the Lord whilest he may be found we will draw nigh unto him before he cause darkness then consider I pray 4. What Joshua told the children of Israel when they put themselves upon such a Resolution and cryed out We will serve the Lord our God chap. 24. v. 19. Ye cannot serve the Lord for he is an holy God a jealous God he will not forgive your transgressions nor your sins Go to him upon your own Account and in your own strength with your own best endeavours and dutyes you will finde him too great and too holy for you to deal withall You will obtain neither Acceptance of your persons nor Pardon of your sins But you will say this is heavy tidings If you sit still you perish and if you rise to be doing it will not be better is there no hope left for our Souls must we pine away under our sins and the wrath of God for ever God forbid There are yet other directions remaining to guide you out of these entanglements Wherefore 5. Ponder seriously on what hath been spoken of this way of approaching unto God Consider it in its own nature as to all the ends and purposes for which it is proposed of God Consider whether you Approve of it or no do you judge it a way suited and fitted to bring glory unto God doth it answer all the wants and distresses of your souls Do you think it excellent safe and Glorious unto them who are entred unto it or have you any thing to object against it Return your Answer to him in whose Name and by whose Appointment these words are spoken unto you If you shall say we are convinced that this way of forgiveness is the only way for the relief and deliverance of our Souls Then 6. Abhorr your selves for all your blindness and obstinacy whereby you have hither to despised the love of God the blood of Christ and the Tenders of Pardon in the Gospel Be abased and humbled to the dust in a sense of your vileness Pollutions and Abominations which things are every day spoken unto and need not here be repeated And 7. Labour to exercise your hearts greatly with thoughts of that abundant Grace that is manifested in this way of sinners comeing unto God as also of the Excellency of the Gospel wherein it is unfolded Consider the Eternal Love of the Father which is the Fountain and Spring of this whole dispensation the inexpressible Love of the Son in establishing and confirming it in removing all hindrances
and obstructions by his own blood bringing forth unto beauty and Glory this Redemption or Forgiveness of sin as the price of it And let the Glory of the Gospel which alone makes this discovery of Forgiveness in God dwell in your hearts Let your minds be exercised about these things You will find effects from them above all that hath as yet been brought forth in your souls What for the most part have you hitherto been conversant about when you have risen above the turmoyling of lusts and corruptions in your hearts the entanglements of your Callings business and affairs what have you been able to raise your hearts unto perplexing fears about your Condition General hopes without savour or relish yielding you no refreshment Legal Commands Bondage-duties distracted Consciences broken Purposes and Promises which you have been tossed up and down withall without any certain rest And what Effects have these thoughts produced have they made you more holy and more humble have they given you delight in God and strength unto new obedience Not at all Where you were there you still are without the least progress But now bring your Souls unto these Springs and try the Lord if from that day you be not blessed with spiritual stores 8. If the Lord be pleased to carry on your Souls thus far then stirr up your selves to choose and close with the way of forgiveness that hath been revealed Choose it only choose it in comparison with and opposition unto all others Say you will be for Christ and not for another and be so accordingly Here venture here repose here rest your Souls It is a way of peace safety Holyness beauty strength power liberty and glory you have the Nature the Name the Love the Purposes the Promises the Covenant the Oath of God the Love Life Death or Blood the Mediation or Oblation and Intercession of Jesus Christ The Power and Efficacy of the Spirit and Gospel Grace by him administred to give you Assurance of the excellency the oneness the safety of the Way whereunto you are engaging If now the Lord shall be pleased to perswade your hearts and souls to enter upon the path marked out before you and shall carry you on through the various exercises of it unto this closure of Faith God will have the Glory the Gospel will be Exalted and your own Souls shall reap the Eternal benefit of this Exhortation But now if not withstanding all that hath been spoken all the Invitations you have had and Incouragements that have been held out unto you you shall continue to despise this so great salvation you will live and dye in the state and condition wherein you are why then as the Prophet said to the Wife of Jeroboam Come neer for I am sent unto you with heavy Tydings I say then 9. If you resolve to continue in the neglect of this Salvation and shall do so accordingly Then Cursed be you of the Lord with all the Curses that are written in the Law and all the Curses that are denounced against Despisers of the Gospel Yea be you Anathema Maranatha Cursed in this World alwayes untill the comeing of the Lord and when the Lord comes be ye cursed from his presence into Everlasting destruction Yea Curse them all ye holy Angels of God as the obstinate Enemies of your King and Head the Lord Jesus Christ. Curse them all ye Churches of Christ as despisers of that Love and Mercy which is your portion your Life your Inheritance Let all the Saints of God all that love the Lord curse them and rejoyce to see the Lord comeing forth mightily and prevailing against them to their everlasting ruine Why should any one have a thought of compassion towards them who despise the compassion of God or of mercy towards them who trample on the blood of Christ Whilest there is yet hope we desire to have continual sorrow for you and to travail in soul for your conversion to God but if you be hardened in your way shall we joyn with you against him shall we preferre you above his Glory shall we desire your salvation with the despoyling God of his honour Nay God forbid We hope to rejoyce in seeing all that vengeance and indignation that is in the right hand of God poured out unto Eternity upon your Souls Prov. 1. 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33. Rules to be observed by them who would come to stability in Obedience The first Rule Christ the only infallible Judge of our spiritual condition How he judgeth by his Word and Spirit That which remaineth to be further carried on upon the Principles laid down is to perswade with Souls more or less intangled in the depths of sin to close with this Forgiveness by Believing unto their Peace and Consolation And because such persons are full of pleas and objections against themselves I shall chiefly in what I have to say endeavour to obviate these Objections so to encourage them unto believing and bring them unto settlement And herein whatever I have to offer flowes naturally from the Doctrine at large laid down and asserted Yet I shall not in all particulars apply my self thereunto but in Generall fix on those things that may tend to the Establishment and Consolation of both distressed and doubting Souls And I shall do what I purpose these two wayes First I shall lay down such General Rules as are necessary to be observed by all those who intend to come to Gospel peace and Comfort And then Secondly shall consider some such Objections as seem to be most comprehensive of those special reasonings where with distressed persons do usually intangle themselves I shall begin with General Rules which through the Grace of Christ and Supplyes of his Spirit may be of use unto Believers in the condition under consideration RULE I. Be not Judges of your own Condition but let Christ judge You are invited to take the comfort of this Gospel Truth That there is Forgiveness with God You say not for you so said Jacob My way is hid from the Lord Isa. 40. 27. and Sion said so too chap. 49. 14. The Lord hath forsaken me and my Lord hath forgotten me But did they make a right Judgement of themselves We find in those places that God was otherwise minded This false Judgement made by Souls in their intanglements of their own Condition is oft-times a most unconquerable hinderance unto the bettering of it They fill themselves with thoughts of their own about it and on them they dwell instead of looking out after a Remedy Misgiving thoughts of their distempers are commonly a great part of some mens sickness Many diseases are apt to cloud the thoughts and to cause misapprehensions concerning their own nature and danger And these delusions are a real part of the persons sickness Nature is no less impaired and weakened by them the Efficacy of Remedies no less obstructed than by any other reall distemper In such